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Town 1-4 Wigan Athletic
Town 1-4 Wigan Athletic
Wednesday, 24th Sep 2008 23:30

Town's Carling Cup run came to an end as Wigan left Portman Road with a 4-1 victory. The result flattered the visitors with all the goals coming in the second half, Lee Cattermole opened the scoring and Jon Walters equalising before Olivier Kapo, Paul Scharner and Henri Camara won the tie.

Boss Jim Magilton moved away from the core side he has used for the last three games, bringing in Ben Thatcher, Alex Bruce, Iván Campo, Tommy Miller and Kevin Lisbie for David Wright, Richard Naylor, Owen Garvan, Veliche Shumulikoski and the cup-tied Jon Stead. Bruce was facing a side managed by his father Steve, while former Blue Titus Bramble was handed the captaincy of Wigan for the night.

Town, playing 4-4-2, started well and in the third minute David Norris made a strong run to the edge of the area and hit a shot which Chris Kirkland, who was relegated with Coventry the last time he was at Portman Road, did well to push around the post.

On nine, Jon Walters crossed from the right and Alan Quinn powerfully headed over. At the other end a loose ball fell to Emile Heskey on the edge of the area and Richard Wright did well to push the England striker's shot wide.

But it was mainly Town, with Campo, Norris and Miller running the midfield. On 25 Lisbie and Walters came carved out a chance but the Republic of Ireland B international couldn't get on top of a bouncing ball which flew over Kirkland's cross bar.

A minute later, Tommy Miller burst through from midfield and struck a shot which Kirkland again did well to save down to his right. From the corner, Bruce's header was cleared off the line by Lee Cattermole, then Iván Campo's follow-up was stopped by Bramble, also on the goal-line.

The Blues were continuing to dominate and just before the half hour Kirkland pulled off another excellent save when a loose ball fell to Walters after a Lisbie run into the area.

Volz lashed a freekick wide off a defender and from the resultant corner the ball was cleared to Norris on the edge of the area and his shot was blocked.


A fantastic move down the right involving Volz, Walters and Lisbie created an opening for the on-rushing Miller but his shot flew narrowly wide.

For the visitors, Heskey hit a shot across the face of goal which Wright did well to tip wide. Moments later, Wright saved from Cattermole after a corner was cleared to the former Boro midfielder.

As the half drew to a close, Amr Zaki hit a freekick from the edge of the area which Wright pushed on to his cross bar.

It had been an entertaining first period in which the Blues had been the better side. But for some less than clinical finishing Town could have been a goal or two in front, although Wigan will feel they had had one or two chances of their own and both keepers had pulled off a number of fine saves.

Ben Thatcher, who had returned to the side after missing the last three matches with a dead leg, was replaced by Pim Balkestein at the break. The Blues continued to press for a goal, Norris hitting a low volley just past Kirkland's goal in the 47th minute.

Wigan went ahead four minutes later. Wilson Palacios's freekick from the edge of the area was pushed away by Richard Wright and as has happened on a number of occasions this season, an opposition player, in this case Lee Cattermole, was quickest to react and put the ball in the net.

On 55 Alan Quinn was fouled on the edge of the box and Kirkland again did well to push Tommy Miller's freekick wide of his post.

The Blues got back on terms in the 61st minute. Gareth McAuley launched a clearance down the left which Lisbie chased. The ex-Colchester man did well to hold off Bramble and send in a low ball for Miller, whose shot was blocked, possibly by a Wigan hand. The ball fell to Quinn, who found Walters waiting at the far post, the striker volleying into the net.

Town certainly deserved to at least be on terms on the balance of play, but parity was to last only two minutes. Kevin Kilbane, who moments earlier had flicked a header wide from a corner, crossed from the left, Heskey headed back across goal, Amr Zaki appeared to fluff his effort but Olivier Kapo hammered home from six yards.

Volz was yellow-carded for a foul on 65, Palacios's freekick deflecting over off Campo. At the other end, Scharner joined Volz in referee Mike Dean's book for a foul on Lisbie. Campo whipped a freekick over the wall, but Kirkland was again on hand to deny Town a goal.

McAuley made an important challenge on Zaki after a wayward Walters pass had sent the Egyptian international away, but two minutes later, as the game approached the 70-minute mark, Wigan scored their third goal. Zaki got his head on Antonio Valencia's corner and Scharner flicked home from close in.

The game was all but dead from there. Danny Haynes replaced Alan Quinn and made a couple of pacy runs, while Tommy Miller shot inches wide from 25 yards.

Dean Bowditch made his first Town appearance since October 2006 in place of Lisbie with none minutes remaining as the Blues switched to 4-3-3.

Pim Balkestein failed to get a decent contact on Campo's cross from the right in the 83rd minute as the game appeared to be drifting to a close. However, in injury time Wigan added a fourth, Camara, flicking a Bramble volley past Wright after a Daniel De Ridder corner.

A disappointing result, but a Town performance which was some way better than the scoreline suggests. The Blues were on top in the first half and even for some of the second, but in the end their failure to take their chances at one end and sloppy defending at the other told against a strong Wigan side.

Town's continuing inability to defend set pieces was the biggest concern with three of the visitors' goals coming from corners or freekicks. At the other end a number of Town players had chances to break the deadlock in a first half when the Blues dictated the game to the Premier League side.

But overall a decent enough performance which, if replicated, should certainly be enough to beat Crystal Palace at Portman Road on Saturday.

Town: R Wright, Volz, Thatcher (Balkestein 46), McAuley, Bruce, Campo, Miller, Norris, Quinn (Haynes 72), Walters, Lisbie (Bowditch 81). Unused: Supple, Garvan, Peters, Shumulikoski. Att: 13,803.


Photo: Action Images



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