Blackburn Rovers 2 Wigan Athletic 1

If there was a case for technology to be used in football, then today was a great example of how a game would not be disrupted by using it. As the main scoreboard proved 5 times before we could kick off after Jason Roberts’s goal, the striker was a good two yards off side.

Kevin Friend was looking at the scoreboard and must have thought about retracting the goal, but alas I guess ‘the letter of the law’ doesn’t allow that. Being picky I felt that we should have had a free kick in the build up to Blackburn getting the free kick that they scored from as well.

Yet two nil down we were and the players must be wondering what they need to do to win games. Goals win games the shouts were, aimed at Martinez, well I’m sorry but we scored two perfectly good goals today, could well have had a penalty, but lost the game to a wonder free kick and a massively, blatantly obvious off side.

To Jason Roberts’s credit he didn’t celebrate the goal, mainly because of his affinity to Latics, but I bet there was an element of embarrassment in there as well. Maybe a certain other Blackburn player could take a leaf out of Mr. Roberts’ book, instead of being the whore that he has become since he handed his transfer request at Wigan – how did your move to a bigger club go Pascal?

The first half saw us hold on to a lot of possession and we created a few chances, but with the challenges flying from a frantic Blackburn back line, it was always going to be difficult. Persistent fouling, mainly of Gomez, was left unpunished as free kick after free kick was given Latics way.

Of course our Friend the referee thought none of these deserved a yellow card, yet he managed to find reason for giving two cards innocuously to our players. He further dumbfounded us when he saw something that nobody else on either team or in the crowd saw when he chalked off Charles N’Zogbia’s goal.

The players were visibly drained by this decision but continued to plug away and still threatened for the last five minutes of the half.

The second half needed to be better for Latics but with Robinson and the Rovers back line putting their lives on the line for the cause, we had good efforts from N’Zogbia, Gomez and Diame bring the best out of our hosts.

It all went sour though as after Emerton seemed to handle the ball from a throw in, he then turned and ran but was adjudged to be fouled by Diame. Pedersen stepped up to take the 30 yard free kick and spanked it into the goal; no keeper was doing anything about that.

It was followed up ten minutes later by Jason Roberts tapping in from three yards, of course the only reason he had the tap in was because he was 2 yards off side in the build up, a huge gaff up by the officials.

Just to wind up the away section even more the guys that run the scoreboard ran the replays of the goal five times whilst our players were arguing with the ref, proving without doubt that he was a long way off side – there is a lot to be said for using technology.

7 minutes later though we managed to score a goal that Kevin Friend couldn’t rule out, Gomez was hacked down on the edge of the Rover’s area for the 376th time (yet no cards for the hosts).

Moments earlier N’Zogbia had had a great effort saved by Robinson, but he could do nothing with the pin point free kick from the back in favour French man.

It was 2-1 and Latics went looking for that equaliser, alas it wasn’t to come but you have to admire the effort and commitment the lads showed trying, especially after last week…

There were times in the game when our passing would have been lorded by the pundits, it of course won’t be, and but for some terrible decisions by this referee again it could well have been a much different story.

Latics didn’t deserve to lose this game and we will need to get ourselves back up for the visit of Liverpool on Wednesday.