GARETH Ainsworth has admitted to using his hand to score Wanderers' injury time equaliser at Colchester United this afternoon – but says he didn't do it intentionaly.

The former Premiership player headed the ball onto his hand and then into the net as Wycombe salvaged another survival point in Essex with a controversial 1-1 draw.

Ainsworth said: “It hit my hand but it was unintentional. I threw myself at the cross, it skimmed my head and hit my hand but I didn't mean it.”

He admitted that the ball, from Matt Phillips' cross, would not have gone in without it hitting his hand.

He said: “I'm pleased the ref didn't see it and in all honesty I think we deserved that bit of luck. To anyone who says I cheated I could have gone down for a penalty earlier but I didn't. I tried to stay on my feet.”

Colchester boss Aidy Boothroyd did not blame Ainsworth but was furious with the officials over the goal which denied his club two massive promotion points.

He said: “We have been done by a player who I can't blame for doing that. In this country we have a fair play code and everything has to be Queensbury rules but the bottom line is that when money is at stake and players are pushing to be the best they can be then they will go above and beyond and push the rules as far as they can and in this case Gareth has bent the rules and I don't have a go at him for that because that's what we have officials for.

“They should have spotted it and that's what we have officials for.”

Afterwards Boothroyd clashed with one of his own fans as the home supporters reacted angrily to being held at home.