Wigan stand firm to claim deserved point at Mansfield

Mansfield Town 1 - 1 Wigan Athletic

Wigan held on for a point at the after withstanding a late Mansfield charge in League One.

Author | Amy W

Stadium | One Call Stadium

Will Evans had given the hosts a half-time lead, but Ollie Cooper’s first goal for Wigan proved enough to secure a share of the spoils.

Fraser Murray went close for Wigan in the 18th minute with a free-kick that went wide, while Nathan Moriah-Welsh’s effort for Mansfield flew just over the crossbar.

Mansfield took the lead after 32 minutes when Moriah-Welsh delivered a cross from the right for Evans, who controlled it before arrowing a low finish into the far post from 15 yards.

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Eight minutes after the interval, Will Aimson appeared to have equalised, turning home a Murray corner from close range, only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul.

Wigan’s pressure eventually paid off in the 59th minute. Morgan Fox picked out Cooper unmarked in the box, and the Swansea loanee finished low past Liam Roberts to make it 1-1.

Mansfield substitute Regan Hendry went close to restoring the lead, but his deflected effort struck the far post. Despite intense late pressure from the hosts, Wigan held firm to claim a draw.

Tactical switch for Wigan 

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Wigan boss Ryan Lowe has largely opted for two strikers during his time in charge, but Saturday’s draw at Mansfield saw him deploy Christian Saydee as the lone forward. There were reasons behind the change, with Dara Costelloe beginning a three-match suspension and Maleace Asamoah only fit enough for a late appearance as he manages a back problem. Paul Mullin also made a brief contribution from the bench at the One Call Stadium.

Lowe told the media: "There are reasons behind it, we have to respect teams we are coming up against, it’s a bit different at home when we go with two strikers but I feel if we can have that tightness and we can be solid, hard to beat and resolute, then it builds your way into the game which we did and we should be coming away from here with three points.”