Wigan fall to narrow defeat at Luton Town

Luton Town 1–0 Wigan Athletic

Despite creating a host of scoring opportunities, Wigan Athletic left Kenilworth Road empty-handed on Tuesday evening.

Author | Amy W

Stadium | Kenilworth Road

Luton players celebrate

George Saville’s ninth-minute strike proved decisive, as Ryan Lowe’s side were made to rue a string of missed chances against the former Premier League club.

Wigan arrived in Bedfordshire for their first midweek away fixture of the season buoyed by victories over Notts County and Peterborough United in league and cup. Lowe rotated heavily, making five changes to the side that beat Peterborough, with Luke Robinson, Baba Adeeko, Tobias Brenan, Jensen Weir and Paul Mullin all starting.

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Luton struck early, Liam Walsh doing well to keep the ball in at the corner flag before curling across for Saville, who darted into space and finished smartly at the near post. Wigan responded positively, with Will Aimson and Mullin both going close, while Josh Keeley in the home goal was tested by Callum Wright’s header and later forced into a sharp stop from Jason Kerr on the stroke of half-time.

After the interval substitute Asamoah Jr injected energy down the right, troubling Luton’s defence with his direct running. Wigan kept pressing and almost levelled late on when goalkeeper Sam Tickle ventured forward and saw his effort drift just wide.

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Despite their endeavour, the Latics could not find a way through, leaving Bedfordshire with only frustration to show for a spirited display. Lowe’s men will look to respond when they travel to face Rotherham United at the New York Stadium on Saturday.

Best Wigan Athletic reaction

View from the away end

Jamie, a Wigan fan, told us: "Poor in the first half and fortunate to be in front at half-time. Much better after the break but couldn’t find the decisive second goal. Overall, I think we deserved something from the game and our players looked more creative than Luton, especially in the first 45 minutes."

Another Wigan fan added: “A disappointing result for the Latics, but we still created plenty of chances and had some near misses.”

Although Wigan Athletic were beaten by Luton Town, Ryan Lowe expressed pride in the effort shown by his players. He told the Wigan Athletic website: “We threw everything at the game and made changes to try and get a result. I can’t fault the boys, I am really proud of them. It was a massive step (in the right direction) from the last time we were in these necks of the woods against Leyton Orient.”