Match Report: Reading Win, Charlton Defeat

The teams stayed pretty much the same for the two games, the injured Chris Herd the only change with Kim Bo-Kyung coming into replace the Australian international who has returned to parent club Aston Villa.

The Reading game though was the sort of game we have missed this season. Full of grit and spirit we looked more like a team that was up for the fight and with a group of players who wanted to be on the same pitch together. The new look partnership of Harry Maguire and Jason Pearce looked set to bring defensive resilience to the team and going forward the combination of Leon Clarke and Marc Antoine Fortune could prove to be something new and exciting.

It was a first half strike for debutant Jason Pearce that was the winner. A corner of ours wasn't cleared properly by the Reading defence and our defender smashed the ball home. We had another hour of play to cling on, including a large amount of injury time following Chris Herd being stretchered off the pitch.

It was though a much improved performance and going into the game against Charlton you felt that we could push on.

The first 20 minutes or so against Charlton Athletic looked to show that. High tempo and the want and hunger for points was back. James McClean was a menace down the left with Leon Clarke looking sharp up front. The ball and rarely been down our end when Charlton got the opener.

From there on it was one way traffic and the 3-0 score line was justifiable.

In the build up to the first goal we lost William Kvist who has been slowly but surely improving with every game. You wonder why he was so over looked by Uwe Rosler in his time with the club. The Dannish midfielder brought of as a precaution due to a knock to the knee.

By the time Charlton had made it 2-0 following an Igor Vetokele header, we had lost another player to injury. Striker Leon Clarke going down awkwardly and subsequently being taken off with a neck brace on and on a stretcher. By that point we had already lost the game.

It was easy for Charlton as they cruised in the second half and would make it 3-0 late on through a Chris Eagles goal, his first for the club having signed on as a free agent that week.

Dismay for Wigan, and after the hope built up from the Reading away win; we succumbed to another home defeat. Time to put that right against Malcky Mackay's former employers?