Match Report: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Nottingham Forest

It was back to the good old 4-3-3 last night and well it work very very well. Firstly we had not silly decisions in who started where, players who have proven themselves started last night and well it made for a good showing. Rob Kiernan dropping out of the defense as it became a back four, and James McClean and Callum McManaman going either side of Andy Delort in an attacking trio.

Maybe this is a sign of how this will go, the team needs to be playing attacking football, it is what we are built for and that line up just scream go at them.

I don't think it would have been in Stuart Pearce and Nottigham Forests pre-game build up to expect our two young wingers to be fielded against them and possibly showed just why they couldn't handle both of them. McClean would go on to have a man of the match performance and if both him and Macca can keep this up they will be a potent pair when going forward.

That is not to say the game was all one sided, far from it. Forest showed why they are at the upper end of the table and could have and maybe should have taken the lead through Micheal Antonio early on. But it was to be that lack of finishing which really marked this game, with both sides missing chances through out.

Very rarely were either Scott Carson or Karl Darlow truely tested, the pair making a few parried saves the highlights of their evenings in what was a battle of the midfield. Ours saw young Adam Forshaw drop back to the bench with the experienced heads of Don Cowie and William Kvist flanking our young Welshman Emyre Huws. It was one of our strongest midfielder performances of the season and for once you saw Cowie actually impact on the game for large portions.

You wonder if Adam Forshaw will go on to start ahead of Cowie in the coming weeks.

Half time came, and Emmerson Boyce was replaced to see Leon Barnett take to the stage and yet again the defender impressed. Barnett is a player who can head, tackle and chase players around the field all day long and given instruction by and experienced head (Ivam Ramis) fits well in our back four. Forest's Britt Assombalonga was very much in Barnett's back pocket for the second half.

It was to be Antonio again who would come close, the former Sheffield Wednesday player unmarked at the back post and heading yet again well over.

We may be down in 20th position, but after that showing we have seen some signs that this team maybe about to kick start its season. Same again at the week for the trip to Wolves and hopefully we can pick up three points on the road for this first time this season.