A second successive victory for Guy Luzon's side and an important one as it pushed Wigan nearer to the trap-door and effectively leaves just one League One placing up for grabs. More importantly for us it propels us into the top-half of the table and we are once again looking up, not down.
The win looks like a return to our early season form. Wigan battered us from the outside with Marc Antione-Fortune looking likely to score but he was denied by Henderson and before they knew it, Frederick Bulot skated in from the left flank and emboldened by his strike last Saturday, he beat Al-Habsi with a shot across goal. It looked like a terrible goal-keeping error but if you don't shoot, you don't score. Having lit the blue touch paper, it was a case of who would score next.
Wigan lost Leon Clarke after a lengthy delay but after the re-start and with the clock into Leon time, Bulot floated a cross in from the left and Igor Vetokele out-jumped and out-muscled three Wigan defenders to make it his and to get enough on it to head in. He really is back to his best and it's heartening to see.
I fell asleep during the second-half - long week and two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon = but stirred in time to hear Chris Eagles introduced for his debut and within minutes he had iced the cake.
All-of-a-sudden, the games can't come quick enough for Guy Luzon and he will be delighted that we play again on Tuesday although Derby will be a different proposition on their patch. It's a free-hit so we should give it a go. Resting players like we did at Boro is probably not a good idea. having said that, next Saturday's home game against Huddersfield in front of a bumper £5 gate should be a compelling affair with Chris Powell retuning to the Valley since his sacking for standing his ground against Roland Duchatelet. I am confident Powell will receive a thunderous ovation from the home supporters when he walks proudly to his dugout but three points will be all that we focus on after that as we aim to tidy this season up and restore some self-respect.
Finally, credit to the 500 who made the long and awkward trip to Wigan last night - wins on the road have been few and far between so you deserved this one.
The win looks like a return to our early season form. Wigan battered us from the outside with Marc Antione-Fortune looking likely to score but he was denied by Henderson and before they knew it, Frederick Bulot skated in from the left flank and emboldened by his strike last Saturday, he beat Al-Habsi with a shot across goal. It looked like a terrible goal-keeping error but if you don't shoot, you don't score. Having lit the blue touch paper, it was a case of who would score next.
Wigan lost Leon Clarke after a lengthy delay but after the re-start and with the clock into Leon time, Bulot floated a cross in from the left and Igor Vetokele out-jumped and out-muscled three Wigan defenders to make it his and to get enough on it to head in. He really is back to his best and it's heartening to see.
I fell asleep during the second-half - long week and two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon = but stirred in time to hear Chris Eagles introduced for his debut and within minutes he had iced the cake.
All-of-a-sudden, the games can't come quick enough for Guy Luzon and he will be delighted that we play again on Tuesday although Derby will be a different proposition on their patch. It's a free-hit so we should give it a go. Resting players like we did at Boro is probably not a good idea. having said that, next Saturday's home game against Huddersfield in front of a bumper £5 gate should be a compelling affair with Chris Powell retuning to the Valley since his sacking for standing his ground against Roland Duchatelet. I am confident Powell will receive a thunderous ovation from the home supporters when he walks proudly to his dugout but three points will be all that we focus on after that as we aim to tidy this season up and restore some self-respect.
Finally, credit to the 500 who made the long and awkward trip to Wigan last night - wins on the road have been few and far between so you deserved this one.
Well done the travelling fans and really well done for what sounds like another confident performance. You dont win 3-0 by luck, if it was anything like,Saturady it would be pretty good.
ReplyDeleteDave, I think Powell got the sack because we were bottom of the table, and got knocked out of the Cup after a spineless display.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure half-term helped the away attendance, but it was still amazing to find every row of the centre block with someone in it. Had half expected to have to shout at one's neighbour.
ReplyDeleteThere's some ping-pong in defence, but they keep at it and refused to leak an early goal that seemed inevitable on the night. Those breakaways were expertly done by JBG, Igor, Tony WattWattWatt and Fantastic Fredi B. Must think of a moniker for new man Chris. How can we possibly chant his surname?
In the dark and cascading rain the Liverpool-Leeds canal looks the sort of forbidding place to end it all, but walking beside it last night back to the hotel the only fleeting thought was to jump in for joy!