Wigan Athletic 2 v Charlton Athletic 1

Another hugely predictable defeat in the north-west. This squad of players continue to do just enough to lose games as they count down the clock to several weeks on the beach and for a number of them the chance to represent someone else next season. Nothing much to report on the game - we took a surprise early lead, missed an opportunity to go two-up before conceding a lazy penalty and then the inevitable  winner late on. 

The real talking points were the line-up and the rationale for it. In the hour or so before kick-off the team was announced and then we got a dribbled feed of the reasons why so many expected starters wouldn't be playing.

Our hopes of an unlikely result had been pinned on new-boy Scott Fraser making his first start but that was torpedoed with news that he has gone down with Covid. Don't expect to see him next Saturday either. Stockley was still missing and you know have to read that his mysterious hip injury is actually much worse than we have been told and probably explains why we paid to bring Chuks Aneke back. 

Speaking of Chuks and would-be starter Conor Washington, neither of them were available yesterday either as they are still carrying knocks from the Bolton game. Not sure we couldn't have been told this earlier. It would have been an added slap in the face for the 500 who made another long, disrupted, disappointing journey. Given their injury history, don't expect them to be starting next Saturday either. It was also a timely reminder why the loan-back deal for Burstow was a sensible move, even if he isn't going to pull any trees up this season. The fact that Leko started again alongside Mason B told it's own story and the back-up was 17 year-old Academy prospect Daniel Kanu. None of them were involved in Elliott Lee's goal.

Famewo was also missing, I believe because we already had five loan players named in the squad (Lee, Leko, Castillo, John and Burstow), although I would have thought him preferable to Castillo or John in the circumstances). He hasn't been playing well and looks unfocused. Perhaps this move underlines our intention to ditch him come June?

What that all meant in practice was hotch-potch side with five players playing out of position, an inexperienced front two and an enforced 4-3-3 formation with Purrington and Matthews back in full-back berths flanking Inniss and Clare. Jackson had better hope he can field a better looking side on Saturday back at the Valley because the supporters are in the mood to let these players know just what they think of them, and it's not good.