Boss Shaun Maloney admitted Jason Kerr’s late header against 10-man Leyton Orient secured a ‘really important win’ for Wigan.
The Scottish centre-back had only been on the pitch for a matter of seconds when he headed home a cross from Jonny Smith – who had also come on in the same substitution – to break the deadlock at the DW Stadium.
The O’s had played the majority of the game with 10 men after Ethan Galbraith was shown a second yellow card on 42 minutes after two fouls in the space of 13 minutes on his Northern Ireland international colleague Jordan Jones.
After that it was pretty much attack against defence, with Kerr giving Wigan a victory they undoubtedly deserved.
“It was a really important win,” acknowledged Maloney. “The game obviously completely changed on the red card.
“Leyton Orient were good at times in the first half, we were okay. At times we were really creative, at other times we weren’t at our fluent best.
“The only positive from that was when Leyton Orient had possession I never felt like they were creating big opportunities to score.
“The second half was all about trying to stay patient, understand how we were going to break them down.
“They went straight to a five and a four and it isn’t easy trying to break down 10 men.
“It was hard for the players and every substitution we made was to become even more attacking.
“But I thought the players were really good because it certainly wasn’t easy for them.
“As you can see the winner came from a short corner and sometimes you need set-plays like that to get over the line.”
Orient manager Richie Wellens was pleased with what he saw, having had ‘no complaints’ about the match-changing decision.
“I can’t really remember the first (yellow) but I’ve got no complaints about the second one, his foot was high and it was a fair booking,” he said.
“Until the sending off we dominated the game.
“It was too easy for us, the only threat they had was when we lost the ball in the middle of the pitch and they countered on us.
“I’m very proud of the team – to come to this stadium against a club that win the league whenever they are in League One.
“Wigan should be right at the top end of this division so to come here with really young players and play the way we did was excellent.
“It was comfortable for us at the back, I didn’t think they caused us any problems until they made a good substitution, taking (Charlie) Goode off and bringing on someone who was better on the ball at the back, which caused us problems.
“But we’ve been done by a set-play and we’ve got to be better with that.
“After that, they managed the game well, the referee allowed them to slow the game down, waste time, which you expect the opposition to do in that position.”
Antigua's Grenades FC secure first Caribbean Cup point after 1-1 stalemate with AC Port of Spain
Antiguan outfit Grenades FC secured their first point of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they came from behind to hold AC Port of Spain to a 1-1 stalemate in a lukewarm Group B contest at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain on Tuesday.
Shackiel Smek Henry (21st) put AC Port of Spain in front, but that strike was cancelled out by Sean Tomlinson (90+5), who ensured Grenades FC registered their first point of the campaign.
AC Port of Spain remain third on two points behind the Dominican Republic duo of Moca FC and Cibao FC, both on four points each. Haiti’s Ouanaminthe sit fourth on a point, while Grenades remain at the foot of the five-team standings.
With both teams coming of losses in their previous encounters, it was anybody’s guess where the points would go. However, AC Port of Spain being the more illustrious of the two, coupled with the fact that they were at home, was slightly favoured to notch their first win of the campaign.
They seemed well on their way to achieving that feat when Henry pounced on a loose ball and fired home from close range.
Though they were forced into substituting goalkeeper Denzil Smith, who was replaced by Marvin Phillip, AC Port of Spain were still in safe hands. This, as Phillip immediately impacted the contest when he denied Quinton Griffith from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute.
Duane Muckette should have doubled AC Port of Spain’s lead from the penalty spot on the hour mark, but his tame kick was kept out by Zaieem Scott in goal for Grenades FC.
That missed opportunity would later haunt them as Tomlinson injected tempo in the latter staged of the contest for Grenades. He should have pulled them level in the 85th, but muffed his effort in a one-on-one situation with Phillip, who left his line well.
However, Tomlinson made amends on the final play of the encounter as he expertly headed home Keanu Barrett’s weighted cross, giving Phillip no chance at a save in time added.
With the point set to serve as a morale booster, Grenades will be hoping to convert it to a win when they square off against Ouanaminthe FC in Dominican Republic next Tuesday, while AC Port of Spain will host Cibao FC on the same day.
Martial set for AEK Athens move after Man United exit
Former Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is set to complete a permanent transfer to Greek Super League side AEK Athens.
Martial, who left United earlier this year following the expiry of his contract, will arrive in Greece later on Wednesday and sign a deal reportedly worth £2.5million per season.
The Frenchman's contract will see him become the Greek side's top earner and surpass former Tottenham man Erik Lamela, who joined the club in July.
Martial arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 for £36m, with his move the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager.
He marked his debut with a goal in a 3-1 victory over Liverpool, and went on to score 17 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions during his debut year with the Red Devils.
Martial enjoyed his most prolific campaign in 2019-20, registering 34 goal contributions (23 goals and 11 assists), but subsequently struggled to regain his goalscoring touch.
Over the next four seasons, the Frenchman netted 19 times in all competitions, and played just 629 minutes under Erik ten Hag last term.
Martial ended his United career with 90 goals in 317 appearances along with four trophies, including the 2016-17 Europa League.
He will join a number of former Premier League players at AEK, including ex-Watford stars Roberto Pereyra and Nordin Amrabat, as well as former Brentford goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
Ja's Cavalier condemned to first defeat by Haiti's Real Hope in Caribbean Cup
Jamaica’s Cavalier FC suffered their first loss of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign as they were stunned 2-1 by Haitian counterparts Real Hope FA in a keenly contested Group A encounter at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
After taking an early lead through Dwayne Atkinson in the fourth minute, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions lapsed in concentration in the second half and Real Hope capitalised through Rikanel Chery (60th) and Steeve Mondestin (66th) to secure their first win of the tournament.
Despite the loss, Cavalier remain atop the standings on six points, two ahead of Real Hope, who inched up to second on four points. Mount Pleasant (three points), Police FC (one point), and Arnett Gardens (zero) complete the group.
Knowing a victory would put them one step closer to the semi-final, Cavalier started spiritedly and quickly broke the deadlock when Atkinson fired home from Shaquille Stein’s pass after a tidy buildup on the left channel.
The score remained unchanged at the break as both teams created a few half chances but failed to make them count.
Though there was a lengthy delay to the start of the second half, due to a section of the Stadium lights going out, Real Hope were unflustered and pulled level at the hour mark when Chery got on the end of Jeudy Jhonson’s through ball and fired home from close range.
The Haitian club found the lead six minutes later when Mondestin converted from the 12-yard spot after being awarded a penalty.
Still, Cavalier found a fresh wind at the backend of the contest and almost secured a share of the spoils, but Kaile Auvray’s well-struck effort was cleared off the line by Peterson Pierre five minutes from time.
Real Hope will seek to maintain its momentum against another Jamaican outfit, Arnett Gardens, next Wednesday at the same venue, while Cavalier’s next assignment will also be against the ‘Junglists’ on October 3.
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