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24/08 Wigan Part 2

By: Tony Butcher
Date: 25/08/2004

WIGAN upped their game a little after this, settling back to their previous tempo, their neat possession football, your basic upper mid-table solidly organised team. We know a decent, though not frightening, second division team when we see it.

Home > 2004-2005 Season > Reports > Wigan (h)


Grimsby Town 1 Wigan Athletic 0
24 Aug 2004, Carling Cup Round 1

Second Division? Isn’t it so much easier to go back to the 1970s for your reference points? A couple of minutes after the goal Wigan got a free kick about 25 yards out. There was a bit of piddling about before it was hit rubbishly goalwards. No panic, no problem, Williams picked it up. Back came Town, Sestanovich drifting off the wing into the Kingsley Black Hole, that pit of Donovanian despond, to end some Parky-Reddy interplay with a rather airy-fairy shot from outside the area. Walsh finished reading his novella and took a goalkick.

Are we worried? No. Mitchell swayed infield and nearly dislodged the fading, raggedy baseball cap of the inhabitant of P57 with what the anorackian obsessives would call a shot. Oh, go on the, it was a shot, but not a very good one. Mahon had a shot from outside the area which bombled along, hurting no-one, not even the local worms. Ah, pleasing. More pleasing from the teasing Town tearaways upfront. Oh such sumptuousness and sumptuosity hasn’t been seen in these parts since dinosaurs roamed. Yes, it’s that obligatory Livvo reference again. A four man move culminated in Reddy spinning free inside the area and crossing from the bye-line towards Parkinson, but the linesman put his flag up for something or other. Nice play though. Lovely, smashing. Great, super.

All was fine and dandy, what a good little game we had a-going on. The crowd were calm, almost be-calmed, with only the occasional chicken counting moment. As my granny would have said if she’d thought of it "You can’t count your chicken’s before they’re boiled. How would they cross the road?" Five blokes sang "Top of the league, you’re havin’ a laff" a couple of times, but it didn’t feel like one of those gleeful games. Can you be bothered to taunt 49.7 people (excluding the coachdriver and his mates)? Oh shut up professional poultry enumerators; Wigan almost scored whilst you clucked, which is almost what you would have said if Graham’s 25 yards drifting whacker had sneaked under the bar, rather than going out for a corner. Williams stood under the ball and rabbit punched it over the top left corner of his goal. Corner cleared, Town broke: nice.

Dean Gordon eh? Darn fine man if you ask anyone sat inside Blundell Park between the hours of 19:45 and 21:35 on an unwet evening. He tackled superbly, body positioned to drive through man and ball, without giving away free kicks. The merest whiff of danger was extinguished by Golden Gordon, ably assisted by Rammy Ramsden, and Witty Whittle, the hobbling hulk from Hull. Old big ears kept getting clobbered by Wiganites, or more specifically Neil Roberts who put an arm in the face then cynically jumped at Justin. On came Dave Moore, limping on went Whittle: he looked crocked. The Pontoon had a mild panic attack when it realised that Wheeler might be wheeled on. He wasn’t, Whittle remained.

I haven’t mentioned Parkinson’s audacious lobbing volley yet. What happened? Well, the clues are there. He did a lobbing volley. The ball bounced free behind the Wigan defence on the centre right. Parkinson hared across and, from somewhere near the corner of the area, stretched and hooked a shot goalwards. The ball dipped into the first row of seats behind the goal. We ooooed, just to be keep our vocal chords working.

As the game ticked away towards half time Wigan came back again. Town were a little sleepy on the right, with Fleming and Sestanovich marking space rather that those blue things that kept running around them. A bit of chess play by Wigan resulted in their full-back having sufficient time to complete the Sun crossword. He crossed, McCulloch was unmarked near the penalty spot and flicked a soft header past Williams’ left hand post. Clear header, should have scored. Didn’t. Hooray!

Grimsby
Anthony Williams
Justin Whittle
Simon Ramsden
Dean Gordon
John McDermott
Thomas Pinault
Terry Fleming
Jason Crowe
Ashley Sestanovich
Andy Parkinsongoal
Michael Reddy

 

Subs
Clint Marcelle85 mins
Stacy Coldicott
Ronnie Bull
Darren Mansaram
Kirk Wheeler
 
Attendance
3,005

 

Referee
Phil Joslin
(Newark)

 

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In the last minute of the half Town made grown men cry with a quite marvellous passage of play. From a throw in Pinault and Gordon toyed with Wiganites, playing not one but two first touch tip and taps. The piggies in the middle went all the way home as Gordon dimpled the ball up to Parkinson on the edge of the area. Parky flicked the ball on for Reddy, who spun past his marker and was free inside the area. Reddy waited for a defender, rolled past him and surged on towards goal. Walsh came out and Reddy tried to flick the ball with the outside of his right boot in to the near post. The ball hit the side netting as the unmarked Sestanovich bellowed in the centre.

The linesman flagged for a free kick against Ramsden underneath the Police Box. Ramsden made it plain that he considered the decision to be faulty. The referee blew his whistle and beckoned mulletboy towards him. Ramsden ignored the ref, turned his back and wandered off. The referee made another attempt to chastise, was ignored again, then gave up. I can’t find fault in that, can you?

Half time: Grimsby Town 1 Wigan Athletic 0

Half time, all is well with the world. We pass, we move, we score.

Stu's Half Time Toilet Talk

"How come they are top of the Champions League?"
"Dad it’s acemer!"
"It’s like watching a good first division game."
"You look like a dancing frog."
"I failed my A-levels and look where it got me. The back of the Pontoon."
"I’d say you’re the Waldorf and Statler of the Pontoon, if I knew who they were"

The report continues in the Second Half.

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