Town 0-0 Wigan - Half-Time
Saturday, 31st Jan 2015 16:00

Town and Wigan remain level at 0-0 at half-time at a snowy Portman Road.

David McGoldrick’s return from his knee injury in place of Daryl Murphy, who has a calf strain, was Town’s only change from the team which lost 3-2 at Brighton 10 days ago.

McGoldrick, who had missed the previous two games, was partnered by Noel Hunt with recent signing Freddie Sears on the bench.

The visitors carved out the game’s first chance in the fifth minute when Don Cowie sent James Perch away on the right and the ex-Newcastle man whipped over a cross which Marc-Antoine Fortune headed high and wide at the near post when he ought to have done better.

Town created their first opening a minute later, McGoldrick, skipper Luke Chambers and Paul Anderson exchanging passes on the right before the winger sent in a cross which Jay Tabb was unable to head towards goal.

After Tommy Smith had eventually dealt with a difficult bouncing ball ahead of James McClean, Kevin Bru just overhit what would have been a superb pass into the path of McGoldrick.

On 14 Tyrone Mings fed in Tabb on the left of the area but the midfielder hit powerfully over when he should have played the ball across the six-yard box to the waiting Hunt, McGoldrick and Anderson.

The game developed into a scruffy affair on a pitch which was cutting up with neither side able to create much but with Wigan having the upper hand. Town were very much missing Murphy’s aerial presence up front with high balls regularly punted forward but defended comfortably by the Latics’ backline.

As the match moved towards the half hour mark snow began to fall steadily and the Blues managed a couple of shots. First McGoldrick hit a deflected effort through to Ali Al Habsi in goal for the Latics, then Hunt’s strike flew high and wide from distance.

Moments later, Smith was yellow-carded for a foul on Martyn Waghorn, then Wigan’s William Kvist joined him in the book for a challenge on Bru. Five minutes before the break McClean picked up a caution for tripping the breaking Bru.

Tabb headed Hunt’s right-wing cross to Al Habsi in the 43rd minute but neither side looked like breaking the deadlock as a rather drab half came to a close with the snow by now falling more heavily.

Under par Town, who were clearly missing Murphy, had been unable to create anything of note, Tabb’s opportunity just before the quarter hour when he should have passed rather than shot perhaps the best of them.

Wigan had similarly failed to significantly test Bartosz Bialkowski - Fortune’s early header was their best chance - in a forgettable first period in which there had been little between the teams, despite the Blues’ presence in the top four and Wigan’s current position second-bottom.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Anderson, Tabb, McGoldrick, N Hunt. Subs: Kenny, Parr, S Hunt, Sears, Bishop, Clarke, Ambrose.

Wigan: Al Habsi, Taylor, Perch, Barnett, Ridgewell,Huws, Kvist, McClean, Cowie, Fortune, Waghorn. Subs: Carson, McKay, Boyce, Pearce, Kiernan, Cosgrove, Flores. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey).

Photo: Action Images

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