- Wigan Athletic once again showed their inconsistency as they were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Burton Albion at the DW Stadium.
- Latics threatened when Scott Smith forced a good save Max Crocombe before Matt Smith side-footed the rebound wide of the target.
- They did go ahead however from Sam Hughes’ own goal after good work by Scott Smith had created the chance just before half-time.
- The Brewers were the better team at the start of the second half and equalised on 54 minutes when captain John Brayford bundled the ball over the line following a corner.
- Latics nearly regained the lead when Scott Smith’s cross was headed against the bar by Thelo Aasgaard. Aasgaard then had a goal harshly ruled out for an alleged push and the points had to be shared.
- Latics move up to 12th place and the Brewers remain in 20th place in the League One table.
After the victory over Blackpool, Shaun Maloney made five changes to his starting lineup: Sean Clare, Charlie Goode, Tom Pearce, Jonny Smith, and Charlie Kelman came in for Jason Kerr, Luke Chambers, Baba Adeeko, Jordan Jones, and Martial Godo.
Both teams started the game slowly, and it took Latics fifteen minutes to pose a threat to Burton’s goal.
Stephen Humphrys made an inside cut to trick his defenders, but a defender stopped his outside-of-the-foot shot.
On the opposing end, Steve Seddon crossed for Mason Bennett, who had a great opportunity but volleyed over when free inside the box from ten yards out.
Sam Hughes had to clear the danger after Clare did a good job of keeping the ball in play and then feeding Humphrys, whose low cross managed to elude Crocombe.
As Latics began to engage in some play, Pearce and Thelo Aasgaard created a good one-two with Matt Smith, but Pearce’s shot was deflected.
Next, Scott Smith launched a strong 25-yard strike, and for some reason, Crocombe was able to get a hand on the ball. Resuming the rebound, Matt Smith side-footed past the target.
Soon after, Burton’s defender Hughes put the ball in his own net as a result of Scott Smith’s incredible pursuit and win of what appeared to be a hopeless situation down the right and cross towards the back post.
Joe Hugill found space in the box and the visitors launched a powerful second half attack, but his volley struck the post and the rebound from Bennett, which Goode expertly blocked.
At minute 54, Burton did equalise from a corner. Following a chaotic scramble in the goalmouth caused by the corner, Brayford bundled the ball into the Latics net.
Charlie Hughes attempted to get Kelman past the Burton defence as Latics attempted to reply, but Kelman’s shot was straight at Crocombe.
Mark Helm fired directly at Tickle at the other end, but Latics’ England U21 custodian saved the day by stopping Steve Seddon at close range.
At that point, Latics increased their pressure on the Brewers goal.
After Scott Smith crossed the ball invitingly from the right, Aasgaard’s header struck the crossbar. Aasgaard’s goal from the ensuing corner was harshly disallowed due to an alleged push.
Now that it was all Latics, they pushed for a late winner, but Crocombe denied substitute Luke Chambers.
Chris Sze, another replacement, came over at a sharp angle.
Next, a free kick by Aasgaard almost reached the upper corner, but Crocombe made a great save to tip it over the crossbar.
During the five minutes of extra time, Martial Godo, the substitute, fired a low ball across the box that deflected and somehow managed to get past everyone.
Latics had one more chance, and the points needed to be distributed.
Overview
The Latics put on another uneven performance, doing well in spurts but not consistently.
It is true that Burton is battling to stay in League One, and they have little to gain or lose in terms of promotion or relegation.
Maloney rested a few of his midweek international players and made five changes to his starting lineup, which undoubtedly affected the outcome.
Charlie Goode, Charlie Hughes, and Scott Smith all put on outstanding performances, but a number of other players didn’t quite live up to expectations that day.
On Easter Monday, Latics play at Cambridge United, and with Kerr, Chambers and Godo starting, I think Maloney will field a stronger team at the Abbey Stadium.
Post match comments
In a post-match interview with the media, Maloney expressed disappointment with his team’s first-hour performance and emphasised the need for mental toughness to improve ahead of their Bank Holiday Monday trip to Cambridge United.
“The team’s performance in the last 20 minutes impressed me,” he remarked.
“I felt that the players who entered provided the necessary intensity for us. Both the first half’s action and the first five to ten minutes of the second half didn’t sit well with me.
“There are still objectives to pursue. Every team at the bottom has a lot on the line, and they outperformed us when it came to set pieces.
“There are still objectives to pursue. Every team at the bottom has a lot on the line, and they outperformed us when it came to set pieces.
“Even though the final fifteen minutes felt different, given the opportunities they had, especially from set plays, we probably should have lost that game.”
I have to maintain the same level of focus. I mentioned in the media that we shouldn’t focus too much on the plans for the upcoming season because the present is what matters right now.
Today’s performance wasn’t very good. We’re all to blame for that, not just the players. We will never be skilled enough to drift through a game and believe we can win, so we can’t allow games to get away from us.
“At Cambridge, we need to perform entirely differently. We shouldn’t expect to win that game if it isn’t. My responsibility is to make sure that the mindset is altered.
In the last quarter of the Sky Bet League One match, Thelo Aasgaard had a goal chalked out. Maloney also had an opinion on one of the game’s pivotal moments.
“I believe the referee in this case made a mistake in that regard. After seeing it again, I didn’t notice any significant differences from the corners of our box.
“We were fortunate not to lose this game, so it doesn’t cloud my judgement whether they got that right or wrong in this instance.”
Player ratings
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