Weekly De-Brief: Latics learn lessons in an unforgiving League One.
Wigan Athletic suffer back-to-back defeats for the second time this season, after two losses in the first two games. However, our Women's team enjoyed an emphatic win at home.
After a long two weeks since the League One season paused for the international break, Wigan Athletic returned to action this week with games against Cambridge United and Mansfield Town.
Our Women’s team embarked on their first cup journey, with a home tie against Blackburn Eagles in the Challenge Cup.
Two of Latics academy players were in action this week for their loan clubs, with Matty Corran and Kai Payne getting starts in the National Leagues.
Let’s dive into what we saw this week and try to make some sense of it 👇🏼
Part One: Lessons learned in Cambridge.
Part Two: The unforgiving Stags.
Part Three: The weekly de-brief.
Part Four: Academy and Women’s round-up.
Part Five: Our next week.
Lessons learned in Cambridge 🧑🏫
In my match preview last week and on the Progress With Unity Podcast, we labelled this game a ‘banana skin’ due to our record of slipping up in fixtures against struggling lower sides.
That is exactly what happened in Cambridge, and Wigan never looked like travelling home with any points on the board. Garry Monk’s side schooled us and (hopefully) taught our squad a lesson in mentality.
Shaun Maloney made four changes from our starting eleven that faced Stockport County before the break, with Luke Chambers and Callum McManaman out of the matchday squad due to being sidelined with long-term injuries.
👕 Starting XI: Tickle, Carragher, Kerr, Aimson, Ramsay, S Smith, M Smith, Olakigbe, Weir, Thomas, Taylor
🔄 Subs: Watson, Sibbick, Miller, Francois, Rankine, Aasgaard, Stones
In all honesty, the less said about this game the better. From the first minute, our defence looked shaky on the ball and made uncharacteristic unforced errors that we ultimately never recovered from.
The U’s first goal was avoidable, as a mix-up between Matt Smith and Carragher from a short throw-in routine on the right allowed Ryan Loft to win the ball and charge towards our area. In Latics’ attempts to scramble back into the box, the same urgency was not there to close the ball down and Dan N’lundulu was able to get a shot off. Yes, the ball took a wicked deflection off Elias Kachunga’s foot, but there were a series of errors up to that point which are always going to punish us. 1-0, 5 minutes on the clock.
Cambridge should have had a second goal ten minutes later, as a deep ball into the far post from Danny Andrew was headed back across goal by Michael Morrison, which Jubril Okedina met in the air far too easily. Tickle’s quick reactions cleared it off the line, but that should have been a wake-up call for Wigan if they hadn’t had one already.
Twenty-two minutes into the game, Monk's team scored their second goal after Andrew crossed the ball in from our right side. Aasgaard headed it clear, but only as far as an unmarked Korey Smith on the edge of our box.
While his shot did come off the post and bundle in off Tickle’s back, it is frustrating to see a player without a marker when every Latics player was in the box. If one of them is marking Smith, that goal doesn’t happen.
I am not going to speak more about what went on in the 90’, because the unforced errors kept happening and Latics produced little to get excited about going forward (again).
Instead, I am going to file it under being ‘one of those games’ which I very much hope it is. Those standards were not acceptable, and we were taught a lesson by a team who were bottom of the table and winless going into the weekend. Poor.
The unforgiving Stags 🦌
On Tuesday night, under the lights of the Brick, Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town taught Latics another lesson in how unforgiving League One is.
Shaun Maloney made six changes to the starting eleven, with Steven Sessegnon returning from injury to fill in for Luke Chambers at left-back. Tyrese Francois got his first league start alongside Baba Adeeko who returned to action for the first time since the international break. Joe Hugill started up top for his first appearance in over a month due to injury.
👕 Starting XI: Tickle, Carragher, Aimson, Kerr ©, Sessegnon, Adeeko, Francois, Rankine, Aasgaard, Thomas, Hugill
🔄 Subs: Watson, Ramsay, Sibbick, M Smith, J Smith, Olakigbe, Taylor
Overall, I am much happier what what we saw over the full 90 minutes compared to the Cambridge United loss, but it was two big mistakes - one of which was pretty much the same as Cambridge’s second goal - that cost us.
For the opening fifteen minutes, the game was fairly even with neither side really testing the defences. However, in the 16th minute, Wigan’s defence sat very deep and lured the Stags high up the field. A long ball from Sam Tickle to Thelo Aasgaard took eight Mansfield players out of the play, with the Norwegian bringing the ball down beautifully to turn and play Dion Rankine down the right.
At this stage of the attack, Rankine is forced to shoot with the positioning of Deji Oshilaja blocking a potential pass across the box to an unmarked Joe Hugill. If Hugill was on or behind the penalty spot, the cut-back is on and it could well have been 1-0. Rankine’s shot was low and saved well by Christy Pym, but I would have liked to have seen the shot with more elevation to test Pym further.
Up until the half-hour mark, Latics looked in good control but were not able to build well on Rankine’s big chance. Then, a simple ball from Carragher to Adeeko in the middle of the field was not kept under control and played into the feet of Will Evans. I can only imagine Adeeko wanted to play the ball back to Kerr, but playing it to Francois, Tickle, or even trying to hold on to the ball would have been better decisions.
Once Evans got in possession, his intention was only ever going to be to shoot, and after scoring 21 goals for Newport County last season, he had the ability to pull off an excellent strike to put the Stags 1-0 up. It was heartbreaking to see one simple mistake undo all of the hard work up to that point.
There were two penalty shouts for Latics in the first half. The first one happened when a long ball over the top was misread by Oshilaja, and he made contact with the ball using his arm while trying to defend from Joe Hugill. Perhaps the referee’s view was slightly obstructed by a blue and white shirt, but the ball clearly hit his arm on the replay.
The second shout for a penalty again involved Joe Hugill, but this time a free kick from Thelo Aasgaard bounced off Christy Pym’s chest and was loose in the box. Hugill made an attempt to make a rebound shot, but as you can see Baily Cargill was dragging him back and stopped a shooting opportunity, with the defender then getting to the ball first. The referee had a full view of the shirt pull and decided no wrongdoing. Baffling.
Maloney made four changes at halftime, with Dale Taylor, Michael Olakigbe, Matt Smith, and Calvin Ramsay coming on for Joe Hugill, Silko Thomas, Baba Adeeko, and James Carragher.
Latics started the second period with better intensity and were working the ball through the lines much more effectively. With 53 minutes on the clock, Olakigbe and Sessegnon linked up down the left side, with the latter feeding Francois into the penalty area and his cutback finding Aasgaard for the shot.
As you can see from this image, Francois does not really have a clear target for the cut-back, but with Aasgaard lingering around the penalty area and Ramsay making his way into the box, the risk of playing the pass was worth it.
In the end, it was Aasgaard who got to the ball first and he unleashed a powerful shot towards Pym that was not saveable. We need to see more of those moves going forward.
For the next ten minutes, Wigan looked in control. The ball was being played around the midfield well, with our entire outfield team pinning Mansfield back deep inside their half to defend.
Then, just after the hour mark, a cheap challenge was given away down our right side, and a long ball was sent towards the far side of the box for Frazer Blake-Tracy to head down to an unmarked Keanu Baccus. Just like the Korey Smith goal, we had every player back defending a set piece but nobody marking the opponent on the edge of the area.
Baccus’ shot passed through four outfield players before it could get to Tickle, so I assume his sight of the ball was limited, but Latics have to do better at defending set pieces.
For the remainder of the game, Latics were marginally the better side again but the Stags were happy to sit back and defend, and our attack continued to show that they struggle to find answers when faced with this challenge.
My big frustration is that I feel a point would not have been a smash-and-grab, but rather a strong response from the Cambridge game and a point that we deserved. Ultimately, it was one misplaced pass and another unmarked opponent that cost us.
“I think it is very disappointing. For the most part, we did a lot of good things with the ball, we just let ourselves down on the two goals. If we clean up on their two goals, I don’t think they create much. We had multiple chances to score ourselves. I think we should be scoring a lot more goals.”
Steven Sessegnon | Post Mansfield Town
The weekly de-brief 🤔
There really is no worse feeling as a football fan than watching your team lose two games in a week. We could have got a point against Mansfield, but we were never getting anything from Cambridge with the way the squad played.
Our next game against Blackpool is going to be a huge challenge, but hopefully next week I can write about how great it feels to win again.
Some good news that broke on Wednesday, is that Graham Barrow has returned to Wigan Athletic as a Club Ambassador and will be supporting our recruitment department in their scouting. Barrow has said that Shaun Maloney and Gregor Rioch have been major factors in his return to the club, and I can only see this being a major boost to the squad and all of the staff moving forward 🙌
Our two loan players both started for their clubs on the weekend, with Matty Corran in goal for Marine AFC and Kai Payne in the midfield for Oldham Athletic.
Marine traveled to Peterborough Sports Club for their eleventh game of the National League North season. Corran featured for the full 90, but two late goals from Peterborough were enough to secure the full three points and keep Marine one point inside the drop zone.
Oldham Athletic traveled to Sutton United, with Payne featuring for the full 90. Latics won 3-1 and they climbed one place up to fifth with 26 points from 14 games.
On Tuesday night, Marine (9th) traveled to Kidderminster Harriers (23rd), while Oldham Athletic (5th) traveled to Maidenhead United (19th).
Matty Corran featured for the full 90 and kept a clean sheet, making three saves, with Marine securing a vital point on the road to take their total tally to 10 points from 12 games.
Kai Payne also featured for the full 90 as Oldham and Maidenhead drew 2-2, which dropped Latics down to 6th with 27 points from 15 games. They are still five points inside the Play-Off places.
Academy and Women’s round-up 🔵
Wigan Athletic Under 18s hosted Sheffield United U18s at Christopher Park on Saturday, with the Blades sitting top of the U18 Professional Development league with 20 points from their opening eight games. Latics sat on 13 points from nine games and would need to perform incredibly well to end United’s unbeaten start.
👕 Starting XI: Jake Spaven, Alex Hughes, Mason Goulding, Sam Bolland, James Knott ©, Charley McKee, Christy Edwards, Harrison Rimmer, Oscar Harris, Cole Simms, Harrison Bettoni
🔄 Subs: Rohan Taylor, Henry Miller, Alistair Clifford, Lewis Wilson, Oliver Fairhurst
With the Blades being in such strong form this season, it was no surprise that they started well, and just fifteen minutes into the game Jevan Beattie scored. The youngster scored the only goal in our PDL Cup meeting on October 5th.
United added a second just before the half-hour mark through Lamine Sidibe, quickly followed by another strike from Beattie to make it three.
Latics were down, but not out, as in the 37th minute, Cole Simms diverted Christy Edwards’ cross into the net. Four minutes later, Harrison Rimmer volleyed an effort past Coby Hewitson to set the game up for an exciting second half.
After restarting with a strong desire to level the game, Beattie secured his hattrick to put the Blades 4-2 up. Siem Eyob-Abraha then added a fifth in the 63rd minute to put the game to bed.
Or, so the Blades thought, as seven minutes before the final whistle, Sam Bolland latched onto a loose ball to give Latics hope. The desire to level the game had not gone, and in stoppage time Cole Simms secured his brace to claw yet another goal back. However, our late efforts would not be enough to secure a point at Christopher Park.
Putting the result to one side, seeing our youngsters go until the very end against one of the best Academies in the country is excellent. The Blades will win the league by a landslide, and Latics can be proud of their performance.
🏟️ Wigan Athletic U18s 4 - 5 Sheffield United U18s
⚽️ Goals: Simms (37’, 90+7’), Rimmer (41’), Bolland (83’)
Wigan Athletic Under 21s took a trip down to Clayton Wood to face Stoke City U21s for our first group-stage game of the Central League Cup. Ryan Shawcross’ Potters have played two of their group games already, picking up a 4-3 victory over Preston North End before a 1-1 draw at home to Stockport County. They currently sit bottom of the Premier League 2 with one point from their first six games.
👕 Starting XI: Trialist (GK), Harry McHugh, Luke Robinson, Jack Rogers ©, Llyton Chapman, Trialist, Leo Graham, Finn O’Boyle, Trialist, Tom Costello, Maleace Asamoah
🔄 Subs: Matty Corran, Harrison Rimmer, James Knott, Oscar Harris, Charlie McKee
Stoke drew first blood in the 37th minute after Josh Bickerton slotted his penalty away. Latics trailed at the break, but quickly after the restart, Finn O’Boyle acrobatically turned home Leo Graham’s cross to level the game. It’s becoming a bit of a habit for our Academy sides to score early on in the second half!
The home side regained the lead in the 71st minute through Wiktor Gromek, but just four minutes later O’Boyle struck again as he headed Harry McHugh’s cross into the far corner. The former Harrogate Town youngster only signed with Latics six weeks ago and is certainly making his mark now.
Neither side could find a winner in the closing stages, but Latics dropped to ten after Llyton Chapman was dismissed in injury time.
🏟️ Stoke City U21s 2 - 2 Wigan Athletic U21s
⚽ Goals: O'Boyle (47’, 75’)
Chris Brown’s young Latics also hosted Burnley U21s in the Professional Development League on Tuesday, with the Clarets sitting second in the table after 5 wins and 2 draws in their opening 10 games.
👕 Starting XI: Trialist (GK), Harry McHugh, Luke Robinson, Jack Rogers ©, James Knott, Trialist, Leo Graham, Finn O’Boyle, Oscar Harris, Chris Sze, Tom Costello
🔄 Subs: Jake Spaven, Alex Hughes, Sam Bolland, Harrison Rimmer, Christy Edwards
First of all, it was great to see Chris Sze named in the starting eleven. After taking time out to deal with personal matters, I am so glad that he can get back on the field and play football again. The club have been patient with Sze, and that is something I love to see.
The first half was a tight encounter, with neither side able to break the deadlock before the break. However, five minutes into the second period, Tom Tweedy opened the scoring after firing an effort in off the crossbar. Burnley then added a second seven minutes later through Tommy McDermott.
Latics made some changes after going two down with Chris Sze, Finn O’Boyle, and our midfield trialist coming off for Christy Edwards, Alex Hughes, and Harrison Rimmer. Despite pushing for a way back into the game, and Sam Bolland replacing James Knott later on, Wigan could not find the back of the net and fell to a defeat.
🏟️ Wigan Athletic U21s 0 - 2 Burnley U21s
Wigan Athletic Women hosted Blackburn Eagles in their first Challenge Cup fixture of the season. Emmerson Boyce’s side beat the Eagles 4-1 at the Brick in early September and aimed to keep our unbeaten start to the season going.
👕 Starting XI: Amelia Knowles, Sara Merican, Libby McCoy, Abbie Moore ©, Laura Heslip, Niniola Dada, Molly Hassall, Grace Carr, Ellie Cleary, Avagrace Hodson, Izzy Worswick
🔄 Subs: Faye Moseley, Chelsea Bloor, Holly Scott
As we have come to expect every game, Latics Women do not start games slowly, and just two minutes in, Ellie Cleary struck to open the scoring. Who else?
Cleary then added another a couple of minutes later, scored her hattrick in the 10th minute, lobbed the keeper for a fourth in the 12th minute, and picked up a fifth in the 15th minute. Five goals, fifteen minutes. Unbelievable 🔥
The Eagles unfortunately netted an own goal after Cleary’s cut-back was turned into their own net (of course she was involved again!) before Molly Hassall struck to add a seventh goal in the 28th minute. A quiet minute then passed before Haaland Cleary struck to net her SIXTH of the game.
Latics were not done yet, as Grace Carr scored from a short corner routine for our ninth before Hassall squared the ball for Izzy Worswick to add our tenth. Halftime, 10-0 🤩
Boyce’s side took just five minutes to add another goal after the break, with Carr cutting in from the left to fire past the keeper. Young Avagrace Hodson got her first of the afternoon moments later, with Worswick making it 13-0 in the 55th minute.
Blackburn were completely down and out but in fairness to them, they pulled two quickfire goals back just before the hour mark. Latics were awarded a penalty on the hour mark, which Hassall converted for her second of the afternoon. Hassall then turned provider as she fed Hodson through on goal to make it 15-2 in the 76th minute.
Carr secured her first Latics hattrick shortly after with a strike from 20 yards before Hodson returned the favour for Hassall to earn her hattrick.
Before the referee could blow their whistle for full-time, Carr added her fourth of the afternoon. Why not?
An emphatic result and performance convincingly enters Wigan Athletic Women into the third round of the Challenge Cup.
🏟️ Wigan Athletic Women 18 - 2 Blackburn Eagles
⚽ Goals: Cleary (2’, 4’, 10’, 12’, 15’, 30’), Own Goal (26’), Hassall (28’, 60’, 84’), Carr (39’, 50’, 83’, 90’), Worswick (42’, 55’), Hodson (52’, 76’)
Our next week 🗓️
Saturday 26th October | Sheffield Wednesday U18s vs Wigan Athletic U18s | U18 Professional Development League
Sunday 27th October | Sir Tom Finney FC vs Wigan Athletic Women | FA Lancashire County Championship League (Tier 7)
Monday 28th October | Blackpool FC vs Wigan Athletic | League One
On Sunday (27th October), I will have a full match preview for our game against Blackpool. So, make sure to subscribe and check back tomorrow! 🫡
Tuesday 29th October | Peterborough United U21s vs Wigan Athletic U21s | U21 Professional Development League
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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