Wigan Athletic 0 Newcastle United 1

WIGAN ATHLETIC

All Latics need to do to win this game was turn up and play half as decent as they did on Wednesday against Arsenal. But as has happened for too many games this season, we turn up for the big game and then disappoint against teams that we can easily outplay.

Optimism was high for this game; we were unbeaten in four and had just come off a draw with the team that had two days earlier annihilated the Champions. From the opening minutes of this game though, it was plain to see that we going to make it hard work.

The fluency, the tempo, the drive, the team spirit and the commitment had all but disappeared, we looked like a totally different side that played in midweek.

As it happened it took a massive stroke of luck for the visitors to actually score as Amiobe tapped into the empty net after 19 minutes. A great save from Ali was then cleared by Caldwell only for the ball to bounce back off the post to the feet of the Toon attacker.

We did have our chances though, Cleverley was the light in our darkness and he at times tore the Newcastle midfield to bits. Unfortunately Watson and Gomez seemed intent on demolishing anything that the loanee was trying to create.

The Manchester United ace did create two of the very few clear opportunities of the game, his first was smartly saved by Steve Harper in the visitors goal.

His second chance was one he will have nightmares about as he sent a volley over the Magpies bar when he would have certainly scored had he kept it down.

Gary Caldwell hit the bar with a header from one of Ben Watsons corners/free kicks that actually cleared the first man. The rebound was inexplicably scooped over the same crossbar from two yards when Hugo Rodallega had the goal at his mercy.

The second half was a complete blank where neither team really allowed any creativity, with Barton’s thuggery and Gutierrez falling on his arse at every opportunity, play was never going to flow.

The Gut somehow managed to get newly honoured Howard Webb to give him a free kick at every dive whilst Barton did have a scare, when he hacked down McArthur in the final ten minutes and was lucky to see just yellow.

A game we will want to forget very quickly and luckily we will as we take on our neighbours Bolton on Wednesday.