Weekly De-Brief: Our first win means more than just points on the board...

Wigan Athletic picked up our first win, and points, of the season with a 1-0 victory over Crawley Town. The way we did it makes me feel that the win means way more than just points on the board...

Wigan Athletic are finally off the mark in League One with our first points on the board at the third attempt, and it’s been another week that has been far from dull outside of those 90 minutes. What’s new?!

Let’s dive into what has been going on since last Wednesday, and, again, try to make some sense of where we go from here.

Part One: Off The Mark

Part Two: Ins, Outs, and Call-Ups

Part Three: The Weekly De-Brief

Part Four: Academy Round-Up

Part Five: Our Next Week

Off the Mark 📈

Going into the game against Crawley Town on Saturday, I wasn’t feeling the most optimistic for a win, but I was sure that an improvement in desire and intensity could see us play out a 1-1 draw at least. Shaun Maloney stated in the build-up: “We have to go for it. I don’t want to see just a passive performance with and without the ball”. This call to action certainly worked.

As I mentioned in the match preview, Crawley are a side that love to play with the majority of possession, and they move the ball forward quickly when a space opens up. With that, I was worried about how our midfield would cope after such an exposure from Reading last time out, but I feel Shaun Maloney got his team selection spot on.

👕 Starting XI: Sam Tickle, James Carragher, Jason Kerr ©️, Will Aimson, Luke Chambers, Baba Adeeko, Matt Smith, Dion Rankine, Thelo Aasgaard, Silko Thomas, Joe Hugill

I was surprised, yet filled with optimism, that James Carragher had been selected to play at right back. After looking strong in pre-season, it’s brilliant to see that Carragher can be a viable option in this position, while also being able to move across and help out in the centre when needed. This positioning also allowed Carragher to step up when defending, or carry the ball forward in attacking phases, and we still had Kerr and Aimson at the back to cover any counter-attacks.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Crawley started this game looking much better than Wigan. In fact, I felt it took us until the 25th minute to start growing into this game. The moment that I pinpointed as a turning point in the momentum of the game was in the 28th minute when Silko Thomas scored the disallowed goal. This came from Carragher swinging a ball into the box from the right, Hugill battling well to flick it on to Thomas, and the Leicester City loanee using his strength to muscle off the defender and score. While the goal was pulled back for Thomas being slightly offside, it seemed to ignite us.

Three minutes later, Wigan opened the scoring with Thelo Aasgaard’s header bouncing off Joy Mukena and being diverted in.

This is a screenshot from the moment Luke Chambers crossed the ball in from the left, after twisting and turning Cal McManaman style to get away from Jay Williams. As the ball is about to be played, you can see that Crawley’s defence is all over the place, leaving plenty of space for Aasgaard to expose.

Of course, the cross from Chambers needs to be perfect for Aasgaard to meet it well, but by the time Toby Mullarkey (#24) realises he is there, he has to backtrack and is off balance while Thelo is already in the air, and Mukena (#20) is dealing with Hugill meaning he has too much to do. Josh Flint (#28) doesn’t read the play well enough and is too far away from Aasgard by the time the ball meets his head.

In the last de-brief, I mentioned that we are having to play with very fine margins of error, and this is an example of Crawley experiencing the same thing between getting a draw and a loss.

Did we deserve to win? Well, based on the stats it could be argued that Crawley Town should have come away with something. However, there are many ways to win a football game and the Latics had to do it by creating our own luck for the goal and then defending as a full team to prevent Scott Lindsey’s side from having any major chances.

Our first change came in the 58th minute with Matt Smith being forced off due to a knock/cramp and replaced by 19-year-old, Kai Payne, for his league debut. I was incredibly impressed by Payne, as he put in a faultless 30 minutes to calmly sweep up any dangerous attacks and help us secure the win. Maloney has put his faith in Payne, and this could be a breakout season for him.

We also saw a first league appearance for Toby Sibbick, who came on for the final twelve minutes. Despite surviving a scare from Jay Williams rising highest to win a header in our penalty area, Sibbick had a decent short cameo and it’s good minutes in the legs as he works his way back to full fitness.

Overall, while it is certainly brilliant to get three points on the board, I believe that this result means more than that. It’s a pressure lifted from our squad and an igniting of belief for our younger players that they can go again this season. Carragher looks ready, Payne threw his name into match-day squad contention, Thomas delivered a statement game that signals he is a viable option for our left side, and the squad ultimately picked up their first clean sheet of the season by battling brilliantly.

There’s still plenty of work to do in order to make us look more competitive, but this was a good result that we can build on.

Ins, Outs, and Call-Ups 💫

Last Thursday, Wigan Athletic announced that Jordan Jones had departed. On Tuesday, Carlisle United announced that Jones had joined them in League Two on a three-year deal.

If I am being honest, I had three league destinations in mind for where Jones could have gone, but the fourth tier was certainly not one of them. That said, he will be fantastic in League Two, especially linking up with Charlie Wyke, and I am sure we will be seeing them back up with us next season.

You can read my thoughts on Jones leaving, and a look back on his time as a Latics player, in my article below 👇

Wigan Athletic also announced that Joe Adams had joined Bradford City on loan for his second stint in League Two after his spell at Morecambe last season.

The Bantams have had an unbeaten start to their League Two season, with an opening day 2-1 victory over last season’s Play-Off semi-finalists, MK Dons, a 0-0 draw with Salford City, and a 3-1 victory over Bromley. They currently sit 2nd after three games, tied at the top with Gillingham who top the league by conceding one less goal.

Bradford City are a much more stable club than what Morecambe FC were last season, due to their ongoing ownership problems, and will provide a good foundation for Joe Adams to show what he can do. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bradford involved in the Play-Off fight come May, and this will all be a great experience for Adams.

On Wednesday 28th August, Wigan Athletic announced that we have signed Nottingham Forest forward, Dale Taylor, on loan for the remainder of the season. The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international has 8 caps for his country, after representing them through the youth age groups, and has recently spent time on loan at Burton Albion and Wycombe Wanderers.

Taylor has scored 10 goals and assisted 2 in 62 League One games, and will provide strong competition for Joe Hugill up top. I suspect that Josh Stones is likely to go back out on loan again, with Oldham Athletic a potential destination for a second spell in the National League.

Shaun Maloney has spoken recently about the need for an experienced number 9, and while Taylor is only going to turn 21 this December, he does have over 70 combined senior appearances in League One, the FA Cup, and the EFL Trophy, with 14 goals and 4 assists.

Unfortunately, Taylor is only joining Wigan on loan, meaning we now have six loanees including; Calvin Ramsay, Luke Chambers, Silko Thomas, Michael Olakigbe, Joe Hugill, and now Dale Taylor. EFL rules state only five loanees can be in a match day squad, so Shaun Maloney will have tough decisions to make when Olakigbe returns from his injury.

Another player who is attracting attention during this transfer window is Thelo Aasgaard. A reported £3.5million price tag has been set for any club who wants his services, although Shaun Maloney would prefer to keep him for the season.

The Norwegian has been called up by his nation’s Under 21 side for their upcoming Euro U21 Group A Qualifier games against Latvia and Italy.

Calvin Ramsay has also been called up to represent Scotland U21s as they face Spain (H) and Malta (A) on September 6th and 10th respectively.

Baba Adeeko (Ireland U21s), Sam Tickle (England U21s), and Luke Chambers (England U20s) will be waiting by their phone to find out whether they will be involved during this international break. Announcements likely on Friday.

The Weekly De-Brief 🤔

Last week, I said that it was a week I wouldn’t want to remember for too long, and hopefully, after a win on Saturday, it would be out of my mind. I can confirm, after a win against Crawley Town on Saturday, that poor week is out of my mind.

Putting three points on the board does feel like a relief. It allows us to have a foundation to build on now, and this confidence will do the squad a world of good. If I am truthful, it also feels like a relief that the Jordan Jones situation has been resolved as the “Is he staying, is he not?” questions would surely have been a distraction for players like Silko Thomas. Players need to have clarity in their squad status, and while the transfer window is still open, the clarity they need will soon be confirmed. This was a big step towards that.

The arrival of Dale Taylor should give us more attacking threat up top, and Maloney may look to deploy a top two of Hugill and Taylor. Both forwards work better with a striking partner, and Latics need to start firing in front of goal as we look like a blunt arrow so far.

We have a massive week coming up now, as not only do the Men’s First Team travel to Birmingham City on Saturday, but our Women’s team take to the field for the first time away at Haslingden Ladies! 🙌

Exciting times for the club.

The Academy Round-Up 🔵

Wigan Athletic Under 18s hosted Watford on Saturday, with the visitors without a victory in their opening two games. Latics won our opener 5-1, yet fell to a 5-2 defeat most recently. This was a good chance to get back to winning ways.

👕 Starting XI: Jake Spaven, Alex Hughes, Mason Goulding, Sam Bolland, James Knott ©️, Charley McKee, Christy Edwards, John-Paul Cavanagh, Cole Simms, Reece Greenhalgh, Harrison Bettoni

🔄 Subs: Rohan Taylor, Oscar Harris, Zac Edwards, Lewis Wilson, Liam Flight

Twenty-two minutes into the game, Cole Simms netted his sixth goal of the season, following a hattrick on the opening day, a goal for the U21s, and an U18 goal last time out. His goal was the difference at the half.

Latics added three more goals to the scoreline in the second half. Captain, James Knott, and Oscar Harris scored their firsts for the season before Harrison Bettoni netted his fourth for the season, and the fourth of the game.

⚽️ Goals: Simms (22’), Knott (57’), Harris (90+2’), Bettoni (90+3’)

Our U18s then played in a Professional Development League Cup tie against Preston North End Under 19s on Tuesday afternoon, which gave some valuable game time to more squad and Under 16 players.

👕 Starting XI: Rohan Taylor, Zac Edwards, Mason Goulding, Alastair Clifford, Sam Bolland, Liam Flight, Lucas Tobin, John-Paul Cavanagh, Oscar Harris, Reece Greenhalgh, Lewis Wilson

🔄 Subs: Jake Spaven, Charlie Hughes, Lucas Hagan, Herbie Cairns, Liam Edwards

Preston Under 19s have had a decent start to their campaign, with a 3-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers, a 3-1 defeat at Grimsby Town, and a 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers.

Eight minutes in, Preston opened the scoring through Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile. Reece Greenhalgh levelled the game after 36 minutes before Max Wilson’s stoppage-time penalty put our visitors 2-1 up at the break.

Wilson added a third for Preston in the 68th minute, and six minutes later John-Paul Cavanagh scored his first for the season as Latics fought to mount a comeback. Unfortunately, we bowed out of the cup with a 3-2 defeat.

⚽️ Goals: Greenhalgh (36’), Cavanagh (74’)

Wigan Athletic Under 21s travelled to a QPR side who bounced back well in their previous game, with a 1-0 victory over Crewe after a 6-0 trashing on the opening day from Coventry City. Latics had lost both of their first two games, with a 4-2 defeat to Charlton Athletic and a 3-1 loss against Cardiff City most recently.

👕 Starting XI: Trialist, Llyton Chapman, Trialist, Jack Rogers ©️, James Knott, Trialist, Leo Graham, Jack Reilly, Tom Costello, Charley McKee, Harrison Bettoni

🔄 Subs: Matty Corran, Alex Hughes, Christy Edwards, Cole Simms

QPR opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Rohan Vaughan, before Tom Costello levelled the game in the 41st minute. Latics conceded a second through Harry Murphy right on the half time to put us 2-1 down at the break.

Just after the hour mark, Alexander Aoraha added a third for the hosts and they secured a 3-1 win to continue Latics’ run without a point so far.

⚽️ Goals: Costello (41’)

The Next Week 🗓️

Saturday 31st August | Birmingham City vs Wigan Athletic | League One

The Blues have won two of their opening three games so far, following an opening day draw against Reading. The relegated Championship side are a major contender for the title, but this could be a good time to play them.

On Thursday (29th August), I will have a full match preview for our game, discussing; the Blues drop from the Championship, who to watch players, and what we can expect from this game. So, make sure to subscribe and check back tomorrow! 🫡

Saturday 31st August | Colchester United U18s vs Wigan Athletic U18s | U18 Professional Development League

Sunday 1st September | Haslingden Ladies vs Wigan Athletic Women | Lancashire Women's County League (Tier 7)

Tuesday 3rd September | Wigan Athletic vs Morecambe | Bristol Street Motors Trophy Group Stage

Tuesday 3rd September | Wigan Athletic U21s vs Brentford U21s | U21 Professional Development League

Up the Tics 🔵⚪️

🙌 Thank you for reading!

✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan

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