Wigan Athletic survive huge scare against Hemel Hempstead
Wigan Athletic 1 - 1 Hemel Hempstead (Wigan won 5-3 on penalties)
Wigan Athletic survived a major scare against National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town before scraping through to the FA Cup second round on penalties.
Author | Amy W
Stadium | The Brick Community Stadium
The 2013 winners appeared to be cruising towards victory against opponents three divisions below them after Callum Wright’s first-half goal at the Brick Community Stadium. But the tie was turned on its head when substitute Matt Smith was sent off, allowing Joe White to level from the spot.
Paul Mullin then missed a penalty for Wigan in normal time, and with neither side able to find a winner in extra time, the League One outfit held their nerve in the shootout, scoring all five of their kicks. Goalkeeper Sam Tickle’s save from Adi Azeez proved decisive, sparing the Latics from what would have been a humbling exit.
A closer look at what happened | There was a cagey start to the match...
Wigan went in front when Wright converted Mullin’s low cross at the far post. They almost doubled their lead soon after, but Michael Johnson denied Fraser Murray’s close-range volley following good work from Joseph Hungbo.
Hemel threatened through Kyle Ajayi, who rattled the bar, and their persistence was rewarded just after the hour. Smith, on the pitch only briefly, tripped Millar Matthews-Lewis in the box and was shown a red card. White calmly sent Tickle the wrong way to make it 1-1.
Wigan were then given the chance to restore their lead when Callum McManaman was brought down by Devante Stanley, but Mullin’s penalty crashed off the bar. Hemel almost snatched it late on, with Tickle producing a superb save to tip Olatunbosun Adenola’s 35-yard effort over, before Matthews-Lewis hit the bar and Isiah Noel-Williams saw his rebound cleared off the line by Will Aimson.
In the shootout, McManaman, Jason Kerr, Aimson, Christian Saydee and Morgan Fox were flawless for Wigan. Hemel converted through Jevani Brown, Jake Gray and Noel-Williams, but Azeez’s miss proved costly as Wigan’s relief was palpable at full-time.
Best fan reaction
Stephen, a Wigan fan, told us: "This result was a travesty. Hemel Hempstead were by far the better team and had more than enough chances to win it.They were too cautious in the first half, but all that changed after the break. They took the game to Wigan, hit the woodwork twice, forced the Wigan keeper to make a world-class save, and had a goal-bound shot cleared off the line."
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