Wigan Athletic 0-1 Bolton Wanderers - Full time match report

The Welshman struck in the 82nd minute to make it a hat-trick of wins for Steven Schumacher in this fixture.

After a hellish week, the Whites produced a performance of heart and passion which suggests those forecasting doom and gloom for the rest of the campaign might have been a bit premature.

Wanderers made four changes to the side that lost against Peterborough United last weekend with goalkeeper Jack Bonham coming in for his debut just two days after securing his move from Stoke City.

Chris Forino, Xavier Simons and Sam Dalby also came into the side with Tyler Miller, Ethan Erhahon, Kyle Dempsey and Thierry Gale giving way.

Schumacher opted for a back five for the first time this season, eager to shake his side out of their recent malaise, and the first half results were quite encouraging.

Mason Burstow should definitely have given the Whites a lead that their control of the game deserved, pulling a shot wide from close range after Sam Tickle had spilled Simons’ bouncing shot.

Away fans immediately came to the rescue, singing the striker’s name and ensuring that Bolton did not let their heads drop.

Wigan only really found their stride in a 10-minute period midway through the half but did not muster a shot on target to test out newcomer Bonham.

At the other end, Amario Cozier-Duberry had worked his way out to the right side of attack to cause problems for Joe Hungbo and Morgan Fox. His partnership with Osei-Tutu down the right seemed Wanderers’ best chance of opening the hosts up, and it was a chipped cross from Cozier-Duberry that created the half’s other outstanding chance, met by the head of Max Conway at the far post, the ball bounced off Will Aimson and inches wide of goal.

For the first time in a while Bolton were looking something approaching their pre-Christmas selves.

Schumacher had sought to press the ‘reset’ button after the midweek Vertu Trophy defeat against Port Vale and though he spent much of the half complaining to the fourth official Robert Massey-Ellis about referee Stephen Martin’s liberal boundary of what is, and isn’t deemed a foul, he will have been privately pleased with what he got in the first 45 minutes.

Attacking the away end for the second half, Wanderers looked to edge ahead early on. Both Sheehan and Cozier-Duberry looked like pulling the trigger on the edge of the box before Simons actually did, his shot not troubling Tickle.

Though the fans behind the goal, and Schumacher inside the technical area, continued to campaign for every free kick and set piece, it must be said that Wanderers were still reluctant to make a fuss. Wigan had been second best for much of the afternoon to the hour mark but you cannot fault Ryan Lowe’s side for not making their voices heard.

Football-wise, Bolton continued to threaten. A fine spin took Burstow past Fox in the penalty box and his near-post cross was flicked just over the bar by Dalby.

The big striker got another half-chance moments later when Sheehan picked him out at the far post but at full stretch he could not pull his shot back towards goal.

Cozier-Duberry continued to keep Wigan on their toes. Racing on to a long pass from Bonham, he won a free kick from Hungbo on the corner of the penalty box that allowed Wanderers to get the bigger men forward. Forino – looking for another Wigan moment – got his head to Sheehan’s cross but could only loop his effort on to the roof of the net.

Dalby went even closer moments later, stooping to get his head to Conway’s cross from the left, he forced Tickle to react well to push the ball wide of his right-hand post.

Schumacher brought on John McAtee and Kyle Dempsey for an added boost of energy in the closing part of the game and with the Latics still to put a shot on goal, a winner only looked like coming from one team.

But just as Burstow might be re-living his miss tonight, so will Bettoni, who conspired to pass a shot wide of goal after Callum Wright had done everything right pulling a cross back from the left byline.

Indeed, the events that followed might just make sure that Burstow – and anyone else of a Bolton persuasion – will sleep pretty soundly tonight.

Wanderers had Wigan penned back in their own penalty box and crosses from McAtee and George Johnston were dealt with well enough – but the second clearance fell kindly for Sheehan, and in time with a gasp of anticipation from 4,600 sets of lungs, his right-footed shot found its way through a packed penalty box to nestle its way into the net.

With the away end in permanent party mode, digging deep into their repertoire of Wigan-themed taunts, there were chances to kill the contest stone dead. Dalby poked a shot wide, Cozier-Duberry pulled another after some good work from McAtee.

Wanderers were still on the attack at the final whistle and fully deserved the points, just as they deserved a moment of celebration with the fans at the end.

Schumacher came up with some fist bumps – not a scenario you could have envisioned at the start of the week. George Johnston… Well his celebrations in front of the home supporters showed plenty of bottle, as had his performance.

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