Wigan Athletic F.C. vs. Huddersfield Town F.C. - The Match Report

Wigan Athletic F.C. vs. Huddersfield Town F.C.

Date: Saturday 2^nd November 2013

Venue: The DW Stadium

Referee: Tony Harrington

Score: 2-1

After a run of five games without a win Wigan overcame Huddersfield 2-1 in yet another game in which an out and out striker failed to net for the Latics.

Within two minutes of the kick off Wigan should have been ahead. Jordi Gomez turned exquisitely, put in a delicious pass to Nick Powell who crossed a ball into the box which Marc-Antoine Fortune should have scored from. Unfortunately Fortune put the ball over.

After 21 minutes Wigan got a deserved goal as Ben Watson, now taking consistently good set pieces, put in a corner which Leon Barnett headed in for his third goal of the season.

Fortune might have had a penalty as he was felled in the box but referee Harrington said no and in stoppage time at the end of the first half Huddersfield equalised. This was hard on Wigan, not only because it was a Ryan Shotton own goal, but also because Huddersfield had had no clear chances in the entire first half. Oliver Norwood’s shot from 18 yards was going straight into the arms of Lee Nicholls until Shotton’s foot got in the way to deflect the ball home.

Wigan came out fighting after the break and Fortune hit the post after some brilliant work from both Emmerson Boyce and Jordi Gomez. Then, Wigan found themselves 2-1 up as Gomez played a ball through to Powell, after a Huddersfield mistake, who subsequently placed the ball past flailing Terriers ‘keeper, Alex Smithies.  Powell immediately ran over to Owen Coyle, high-fived him and had some banter with Graham Barrow and the rest of the Wigan coaching staff because he had told the Latics’ manager at half time that he would score the winner.

The game became pretty scrappy after this Wigan goal and Nicholls had a few saves to make and right at the death Marc Albrighton should have had a penalty for being tripped in the box but once again Harrington said no.

It seems that Wigan are increasingly getting better and there were many positives to take from the game on Saturday. Nicholls has been a revelation and he was extremely unlucky to concede but he kept everything else out and commanded his box well. James McClean had his best game in a Wigan shirt (maybe he has finally calmed down!) and he seemed much more relaxed whilst the defence, again, looked solid.

However, the Latics’ strikers cannot score at all! Fortune had his fair share of chances and I would have expected him to score at least one of them whilst Grant Holt was non-existent and looked lost for the short period that he was on the field. Finally, Gomez is continually being put on the wing but he does not know how to play as a winger! He keeps being drawn inside and to the ball but luckily for Wigan it has not been to their detriment…yet! Other than this Gomez is playing really well and having an impact when Wigan are attacking.