Report by Dave Seddon - Wigan Evening Post

LATICS were left cursing referee David Crick and his stopwatch as a late goal denied them their first victory for a month.

The Surrey official added on a whopping 12 minutes of stoppage time to this clash at the Abbey Stadium and how dearly it cost John Benson's side.

Seven extra minutes were played at the end of the first half, and a further five in the second.

And Latics were stung in both sections of injury time reduced to ten men by Carl Bradshaw's sending off moments before the whistle went for half-time, and then seeing Cambridge grab an equaliser with the clock ticking beyond the 90 minute mark.

Tom Youngs' 92nd minute leveller was probably what the home side deserved taking into consideration the amount of possession they had had in the second half as they took advantage of the extra man.

But it was certainly rough justice on the Latics defence who performed heroics to try and keep their hosts at bay.

Goalkeeper Roy Carroll pulled off a string of saves to thwart the Cambridge attack while Arjan de Zeeuw was back to his usual best.

Pat McGibbon was rock solid despite having to take up an unfamiliar right back role in the second period, and Gareth Griffiths was a colossus after being introduced as a half-time substitute.

Kevin Sharp too enjoyed his best display for some time and no wonder disappointment was etched across their faces at the end.

Young's late, late show, cancelled out Stuart Barlow's 10th minute opener.

The cross-cum-shot which deceived United keeper Shaun Marshall and curled into the top corner ended Barlow's 12 game goal drought and was his 50th strike in a Latics shirt since signing from Oldham 22 months ago.

Last week, he predicted that he might take a little bit of luck for him to regain his scoring touch, and that view proved spot on.

"I meant it as a cross but it ended up in the back of the net," admitted Barlow later.

"If David Lee can claim that one at Macclesfield last year, I'm claiming this one!"
Barlow was restored to the starting line-up as Benson switched to a bold attacking 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to take maximum points.

And the move looked to have paid dividends when Latics took the lead in a game for the first time since the home game over Gillingham at the end of December.

Bradshaw delivered a long free kick from the right which sailed over the badly positioned Ian Ashbee and found BARLOW on the left corner of the box.

He jinked inside and delivered a cross which curled over Marshall and dropped into the net at the far post.

With such an early breakthrough, we sat back and waited for a goal spree against the division's bottom side, but it didn't materialise.

Cambridge responded with Trevor Benjamin flashing a header wide of the target from Clive Wilson's cross while Scott Eustace nodded over the top.

Carroll came to Latics' rescue after 18 minutes when he saved Steve Guinan's low shot with his legs after the striker had burst clear in the box.

Bradshaw went into Mr. Crick's notebook for a foul on Benjamin after 20 minutes, quickly followed by Sharp for a lung at Guinan.

Simon Haworth was the width of the woodwork away from extending Latics' lead in the 34th minute.

Collecting a pass 25 yards out, he turned his marker and slammed a low shot against the foot of the post with Marshall well beaten.

A point blank save from Carroll kept out Benjamin's fierce near post effort, before the action hotted up for all the wrong reasons just before the break.

Benjamin was shown the yellow card for an apparant elbow on Bradshaw which left the skipper needing lengthy treatment from physio Alex Cribley.

Eventually he climbed up from the turf but was soon making his way for an early bath.

Five minutes of stoppage time had been played when he sent Guinan sprawling with a high tackle on the far touch line.

Out came the second yellow card from Mr. Crick's top pocket, followed by the red, and Bradshaw made the long walk to the tunnel.

Barlow was sacrificed at half-time with Griffiths introduced to the fray.

He took his place alongside de Zeeuw at the heart of the back four, with McGibbon switching to right back as Latics adopted a 4-3-2 system.

In the opening stages of the half, the handicap of playing with 10 men didn't seem to affect them though.

Haworth headed Sharp's cross just wide of the near post, while the big striker forced a good save from Marshall with a shot from the edge of the box.

At the other end, Benjamin's cross was met by Eustace but he glanced a header wide when scoring looked easier, while Sharp was hit by a full-blooded volley ex-Latics midfielder Neil Mustoe smack bang in the face and was laid out for a couple of minutes.

As the game wore on, Cambridge grew increasingly desperate and threw everything forward.

Andy Liddell was forced to drop into a midfield role, leaving Haworth as the sole front man, as the home side pushed for an equaliser.

In the 74th minute, Carroll got down well to parry a low shot from Gurnan, and then saved Paul Wanless' header from the resulting corner.

The keeper was then on hand to beat out Youngs' shot after the substitute had raced on to Mustoe's pass, with Griffiths blocking Benjamin's follow up as the ball bounced across the area.

From Griffith's clearance, Liddell broke clear on the righr wing, crossed to Haworth in the box, but he hit his shot inches wide of the near post.

It proved a costly miss as Cambridge snatched an equaliser with almost two minutes of injury time played.

Veteran striker John Taylor let fly with a 25-yard shot which caught a slight deflection off a Latics boot.

Carroll plunged to his left to block the effort, but YOUNGS was following up and forced the ball home from close range.