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Wigan Athletic 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

Youssouf Mulumbu of West Bromwich Albion clashes with James McArthur of WIgan Athletic during the Barclays Premier League match between Wigan Athletic and West Bromwich Albion at DW Stadium
Youssouf Mulumbu of West Bromwich Albion clashes with James McArthur of WIgan Athletic during the Barclays Premier League match between Wigan Athletic and West Bromwich Albion at DW Stadium

The saying old habits die hard is very much true. And if you apply it to Wigan and Martinez's philosophy as to how we should play, then you see where I am going with this. Yet again today Latics failed to really make the most of an opportunity to score goals and get three needed points.

It all started so well too. Shaun Maloney the hero from Carrow Road started in place of Jordi Gomez. And suddenly things were looking so much rosier. The number ten of Maloney was seen roaming about all over the midfield being a continual pain in the West Brom side.

It led to there being five chances in the opening three minutes. All of which the mixture of Franco Di Santo and Emmerson Boyce managed to miss. The later of the two you can let off for not being a natural born striker. But when your main man gets a free shot at goal. At least hit the target.

Instead we got sloppy missed efforts and for all the possession we go nothing in return. Even Victor Moses looked sloppy, although his pass would give us the goal, his attempts a goal were wide and high.

It was really hard to see how Wigan weren't in front, and Ben Foster in the West Bromwich goal was doing a good job of keeping the score level when a brilliantly hit James McCarthy effort was tipped over the cross bar, and from the resulting corner, he manged to flick a goal bound header round the post.

That's not to say West Brom didn't threaten the Latics goal. At least twice they came close. The first a mistake by Gary Caldwell to let a cross go to the back post, thankfully for Latics a troublesome Shane Long couldn't get his toe to it. While towards the end of the half Alcaraz's challenge on Long was deemed a foul. From the resulting Chris Brunt free-kick, Billy Jones nearly steered his effort goal wards.

0-0 at half time and you wondered what Latics had to do to score.

The first half would start much the same way as the first, Wigan looking to get that elusive goal. It nearly came when the ball dropped to Di Santo in the box, only for the striker to hit it straight at his defender.

Maloney nearly managed to pull of a wonder after turning three West Brom players in one move, open himself up. Before unleashing a very poor tame effort. The goal was looking likely to come.

Eventually it broke down on the right hand side for Wigan. Boyce again running the width managed to find Moses in space, before the Nigerian international danced his way to he byline to cut the ball back for the waiting James McArthur to turn in. How much that was deserve for Latics.

But a win didn't look likely if we took our foot of the peddle and that is what we did. With none coming on to help the tired legs West Brom saw their chance to push on and try and get the equalizer.

After some sustained pressure Jerome Thomas was put through on goal, before Ali Al Habsi closed him and eventually Figueroa would come across to clear the ball. From the following corner, Di Santo would nearly turn the ball into his own goal, just flying over the crossbar.

Then would come the killer corner. Over every Wigan player to the back post to find Paul Scharner unmarked. The Austrian did what he had done many a time for Wigan and got West Brom level.

Wigan would push and pull and try as much as they would to get the next goal. But it wouldn't come. Two chances came in the dying minutes.

First freshly on Callum McManaman managed to dance his way into the box, before completely messing up his chance to put the ball in the back of the net. The next chance would fall to the other substitute in Mohamed Diame, who was given the ball six yards out by a great cross form Moses. Yet Diame could only place the ball wide.

Meaning the game would end in yet another draw for Latics.