Wigan Athletic close on play-offs as Martyn Waghorn goal beats Leeds
Observer 5/4/14Pete Ferguson at the DW Stadium
Wigan Athletic's bandwagon goes rolling on, with the play-offs seemingly a certainty after this below-par victory, while Leeds United at least appear to be a step closer to getting theirs back on the rutted track.
The decision to uphold Massimo Cellino's appeal against the Football League's veto of his £25m takeover at Elland Road was received as good news after their record on the pitch was stretched to one win in 11 games by a first-half goal from Martyn Waghorn, celebrating his permanent move from Leicester City after a fine loan spell at the DW Stadium since January. Wigan, who have lost once in 13 matches, were probably worth their win, but it was clear that the midweek draw with champions elect Leicester City had taken something out of them, as Uwe Rösler acknowledged.
"We never really got going the way we want to play, we were not fully recovered from Tuesday," the Wigan manager said. "We didn't keep possession and take the sting out of the game, but we defended very well in the box. At this stage, the three points is the most important thing, and we've shown again that we can grind out results as well as play them out."
The Leeds manager, Brian McDermott, has seen his team slide out of contention for the top-six place that beckoned in late November, but continues to attempt an optimism others might struggle to find: "We showed drive and passion. We didn't deserve to be 1-0 down, we deserved something from the game but we didn't get any breaks. We stayed in the game to the end. There was nothing in it. I'm not disappointed with the players, they gave everything. Wigan are the second-best squad in the division after Leicester. They will be a force to be reckoned with in the play-offs. I thought that when we beat them at Elland Road."
Leeds looked a long way removed from the team who won that game 2-0 in December with goals from Ross McCormack, their top-scoring captain and talisman who was not at his best here. "He was ill, he's been sick three times," McDermott said. Having shaken off the effects of a draining early-season Europa League commitment and changed managers, the FA Cup holders, Wigan, are in irresistible mode, even when not firing on all cylinders.
There was little of note in a low-key opening half hour, and while the Leeds midfielder Michael Brown buzzed around to annoy his former team, it was James Perch and Jordi Gómez who picked up bookings rather than the abrasive veteran midfielder, with Leeds' Scott Wootton joining them in the book for scything down Nick Powell.
The decisive action eventually came on 33 minutes in the shape of James McArthur, who went on a run down the right flank and cut in before going down on the edge of the box. There was no appeal as Waghorn stepped in to fire a low shot that the goalkeeper Jack Butland reached but was unable to prevent going in.
It was Waghorn's fourth goal in 10 games, and Rösler said: "He's hungry and ambitious at 24. He has added something different, scoring and assisting crucial goals. I am delighted we have been able to get a young English player with a proven track record on a free."
Wigan celebrations were met with a sarcastic response from the 3,400 Leeds fans, who jeered: "You're nothing special, we lose every week," and renewed vigour from Brown, who finally earned his yellow card for clattering Gómez over the touchline. But as is so often the case these days, it was Leeds who were left hurting at the end.
