Away at Crawley had potential banana skin written all over it – and so did yesterday’s encounter. On paper, a mid-table team with mixed recent form and nothing to play for, except to impress a new manager. Wigan hadn’t scored many this season (just 32 in 35 games) but hadn’t conceded many either (34). All pointed to a need to have the same attitude and commitment as against Crawley and essentially score the first goal. Do that and the odds would be strongly in our favour, perhaps go on to repeat the Exeter result. After all, we’d kicked off the season with a 0-1 win at their place.
In the event we did score first, went on to double the lead before half-time, and should have scored at least as many as against Exeter. Instead we did start to showboat a little before the game – of which we were seemingly in complete control - was truly in the bag and, by virtue of their converting one of two second-half chances, had a rather edgy final 10 minutes. They were edgy because it would have been an utterly absurd waste of two points had we not won. When the opposition’s manager says “we didn’t do enough to come out with something today” yet there was only one goal in it at the end you know the scoreline didn’t reflect the play.
For the team there were some doubts about who would start, taking account of possible injuries (Edwards) and perhaps the need to rest a few of the most tired to freshen things up, depending on the assessment of the opposition. Jones made four changes to the Crawley starting XI, two of them enforced as Edwards didn’t make it and Gilbert was apparently unwell. The former meant Small switching back to the left and Watson starting as the other wing-back. The latter saw Berry back in, while Docherty and Godden also returned with Anderson and Leaburn dropping to the bench. There they would be joined by Mitchell and McIntyre but also Enslin and Ahadme, with still no sign of Aneke (is he injured?). So the formation the same as usual but with adjustments in personnel.
To be fair I think Wigan edged the first 10 minutes, even if all they had to show for it was one dangerous ball into the box. We didn’t settle quickly, perhaps not surprising given the changes, with one possible problem arising. Campbell naturally moves wide left, which is fine, allowing Berry to get into the box in support of the other striker. Only problem was that this tended to close off the space which we would be looking to Small to exploit having switched sides.
Before this became a real concern we took the lead, with a goal which once again underlined that Godden is head and shoulders above our other forwards when it comes to anticipating and taking openings in the box. Ramsay somehow managed to emerge with the ball on the right side and sent in the low cross to where he could be sure Godden was going to take. Their defender got there first, but his clearance only hit another defender and bounced back. Godden swivelled and shot, keeping control of the ball and sending it sweetly inside the far post. Ramsay had been a little fortunate to get clear, although that was down to his physicality and skill, Godden was fortunate that the ball bounced back his way, but still had a lot to do and did it very well.
It would be wrong to say that Wigan fell apart after that, just that we took control – and didn’t relinquish it until late in the game. On 15 minutes we almost doubled the lead with a corner routine. Low ball, Godden touch on, and Campbell to run onto it. Only problem was it looked for a moment that their defender would intercept and that distracted Campell. So he was taken a little by surprise and initially stumbled, but recovered well enough to hit it goalwards only to be blocked by a mix of Ramsay and a defender, resulting in an offside decision. If Campbell had got the shot away first time there was a high chance it would have found the net.
On 23 minutes Docherty was fouled and from the free-kick Gillesphey attempted a repeat of his goal against Barnsley. He hit this one sweeter but the Wigan keeper did a better job than his Barnsley counterpart to keep it out. Even so the ball rebounded into a dangerous area but a defender was first to it and cleared.
Wigan did catch us on the break once, just before the half-hour. Their guy was played in on the left side but some desperate covering smothered the danger. Otherwise it was all us and it was neither a surprise nor more than we deserved when we doubled our lead. A free-kick sent to the far post was headed back by Gillesphey and for some reason their defenders had left Godden alone, allowing him to tuck the ball into an empty net from close range. There was bound to be a question of offside (Godden’s first reaction was to look to the linesman) but seems he timed his move perfectly. The only other first-half incident of note was a Wigan shout for a penalty as Small (I think) seemed to wrestle someone to the ground from a corner, but through the game so much of that went on at both ends it was hard to say.
At half-time the stats showed we had enjoyed 61% possession and had five attempts on goal, four of which were on target, against their zero.
There’s always some danger going in at half-time two ahead. As Steve Brown was commenting, Wigan were very likely to make changes, which they did, and come out with greater purpose. At the same time we might have felt that the game had already been won. If they get one back it’s then difficult to regain the momentum. In midweek Norwich were 2-0 up at the break against Sheff Wed and lost 2-3, with a Norwich supporting friend unable to explain what went wrong.
Any such thoughts were almost laid to rest in the first minute of the second half as a long ball forward saw Campbell beat his marker and through on goal. He tried to go around the keeper, but the keeper managed to get a hand to the ball. It ran for Godden, but his effort came back off the keeper’s foot.
Shortly after we had a second warning about being caught out. Two defenders collided going for the same ball and suddenly we were short of numbers. The ball was played to their guy on the left side but from around the edge of the penalty area he put it rather tamely wide.
That appeared to be the exception to the rule as we continued to dominate the game and have opportunities to finish it off. Campbell went down inside the box but no penalty was given, while Jones was getting routinely hauled down – possibly the second time punched in the face – from set pieces. Small was tormenting them down the left, and appearing to enjoy every minute of it. Leaburn was introduced for Godden on 75 minutes, ending his chances of a hat-trick, and we were all reflecting on just how comfortable it was turning out.
Instead on 83 minutes we had a nasty reality check and actually conceded a goal. Gillesphey made rather a hash of a cross and it dropped for their guy. He put in a decent effort only for an otherwise redundant Mannion to save superbly low to his left. Unfortunately that rebound went to another of theirs who managed to convert from a tightish angle.
Now suddenly we were just one wonder strike, mistake or fluke away from not winning the game. With hindsight we did see it out well, without serious alarm, as we have done in other recent games. But we didn’t know that at the time. Mitchell replaced Watson with a few minutes of normal time left (and Watson deserved plaudits for slotting back in very well), then when the four added minutes were almost up McIntyre and Anderson came on for Berry and Small. There was understandable relief at the final whistle, but that soon passed, to be replaced by appreciation of a seventh consecutive home victory and our fifth win in six games.
Wrexham’s late winner against Wycombe was probably not the result we wanted, nor were wins for Stockport, Huddersfield and Leyton Orient. But Stockport’s gain was Bolton’s loss and we are now six points clear of seventh place with nine games left and still able to think about the possibility of a top-two finish. We know our season will culminate with games at Wycombe then Wrexham in the second half of April, but one at a time of course and next up is away at Peterborough, who have turned things around with three wins and three draws in their last six to stay above the relegation zone. Feet on the gound? Nah, tomorrow perhaps, still want to bask in all this for a little longer.