Match Report: Chesterfield FC 2-3 Wigan Athletic

Wigan away form this season has been, well non existent. The players needed to put that right and they did so in spectacular fashion against one of League One's top performers last season.

Enforced changes from the 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra last weekend. Will Griggs, Jonjoe Kenny and Craig Morgan both being replaced by Haris Vuckic, Sean Murray and Leon Barnett respectively. It meant the team kept its 3-4-3 formation, Max Power dropping into the right wing back role.

So Gary kept his shape and tactics and the team now needed to step up and perform for their manager.

It was to be a first half to forget really. Neither side making inroads in a game which looked evenly matched, or that both teams were playing equally poor. Their were chances at either end though. The best chance of the first half arguably falling to Wigan in stoppage time.

Hari Vuckic on his debut with some brilliant work out wide found set Craig Davies down on goal. Unselfishly the striker squared the ball to the on rushing Micheal Jacobs who went for placement over power. It meant Chesterfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee was able to get off his line and save the goal bound shot.

Down the other end of the pitch Chesterfield will have felt hard done to. Donervon Daniels clearly fouling a Chesterfield player in the box; only according to the referee the game should be brought back for an earlier foul. A weird and wonderful decision by the referee and a let off for Latics.

Roll on the second half then, and Chesterfield started to get more of a foothold in the game. And 15 minutes in they had their break through. Max Power showed Dan Gardner the goal instead of pushing him out wide, and the attacker open up his body and curled a fantastic shot past Wigan keeper Richard O'Donnell to make it 1-0.

That took the wind out of the Wigan sails and the changes from Gary Caldwell, who brought on Chris McCann and Jordy Hiwula, hadn't helped. Instead the game looked to be slipping away from Wigan and that was confirmed when Leon Barnett expertly headed into his own goal. Chesterfield freekick was whipped in with pace and power, Barnett had to get something on the ball, he just got too much and saw it sail into the net.

That was game set and match you felt for Wigan, surely there would be no come back.

Last season I would have been right, however this year we have a team which is fighting for eachother and are willing to dig in when they need to. Cue a final ten minutes which saw Chesterfield crumble.

First Leon Barnett made up for his own goal. A corner wasn't cleared properly and Barnett found himself at the edge of the box with the ball bouncing towards him. So what does he do? Well volley it into the back of the net of course. 2-1 and Wigan heads shot up.

Pressure on the Chesterfield goal and the cracks began to crumble. With three minutes to play Chris McCann burst into the box and was brought down by a clumsy challenge from Sam Hird. Penalty from the referee and up stepped Craig Davies to slot home is second of the campaign.

At 2-2 with minutes to go you wondered if Wigan could muster one more chance, and that they did. A pinball situation late on in normal time in the Chesterfield box, and Jordy Hiwula calmly volleyed the ball home to make it 3-2.

The scenes in the away end showed just how much it meant. The demons of last season looking to be off our backs, are Wigan fans beginning to believe again? With ten points from the first six games, and now up in the top half of the table. Caldwell's Wigan Athletic are building momentum and in the right direction.