Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan picked up another 3 valuable points at the Manor Ground against an Oxford United side that are currnetly languishing at the foot of Division Two with only one win under their belt so far this season...but it wasn't all plain sailing for third placed Latics.

Latics earned three points on their travels for only the second time this season thanks to a 2-0 victory over lowly Oxford United at a cold and windy Manor Road courtesy of an 11th minute Scott Green strike and another pearler from the fans' favourite Andy Liddell.

The scoreline flattered the homeside as Wigan created chance after chance throughout the duration of this contest.

The visitors had problems, however, even before a ball had been kicked as the brand new team coach, laid on by Eavesways, broke down trying to leave the ground after it had transported the team's kit from the hotel where they were enjoying a pre-match meal and Latics' players and officials were forced to ring a fleet of taxis to take them to the game.

Manager Bruce Rioch opted to start the game with the same eleven that had finished then game on Saturday against Port Vale which meant Gareth Griffiths had to start the match twiddling his thumbs sat on the bench and Neil Redfearn found himself left out of the squad altogether.

Griffiths didn't have to wait very long though to remove his tracksuit and join the action as Carl Bradshaw limped off with a hamstring problem after only five minutes and the former Port Vale defender was thrown on to take his place alongside Arjan de Zeeuw in the centre of Wigan's defence, pushing Pat McGibbon into the right-back position vacated by the injured Bradshaw.

The early change didn't affect Latics as their pressure on the Oxford goal paid off after on 11 minutes.

Little Brian McLaughlin's cross found SCOTT GREEN unmarked in the middle of the penalty area and he stuck the ball past Richard Knight in the Oxford goal.

It seemed to take an eternity for anybody to acknowledge the goal but a goal it was and the perfect start for a Wigan team trying to keep pace at the top of the table.

Wigan continued to push forward and were unlucky not to increase the lead within the next few minutes with Andy Liddell denied by Knight, who was having a good game between the sticks and Scott Green and Neil Roberts both going close with headers.

Knight was on hand again after 30 minutes gone when he narrowed the angle well to save with his legs after Liddell had raced clear on goal.

Oxford did enjoy a brief spell on the attack after that and went very close to levelling the game through Peter Fear who bullet shot brought out a brilliant, one-handed, reflex save from Carroll, who upto then hadn't had really much to do.

Latics finished the first period strongly with Ian Kilford being denied from close range by the face of Oxford's Linighan and that man Knight was on hand again to block another one of the midfielder's efforts.

Latics thought they had added the second with moments of the first period left when Andy Liddell, who had initially been in an offside position, crept back onside and Scott Green placed a ball forward into the area allowing Liddell to race forward and place the ball into the back off the net.

Wigan's celebrations were short lived as Birmingham referee Andy Hall disallowed the effort with his assistant flagging for offside.

HALF TIME: Oxford 0 Wigan 1

Latics continued to dominate proceedings when they emerged for the second half and created a number of clear cut goalscoring opportunities to finish off an Oxford side which had only picked up five points in their previous fourteen outings in the league, one in their last six.

Scott Green gave a cheeky smile to the travelling Wigan fans in the Cuckoo Lane end after his looping cross from the right bye-line had sailed over the head of Knight and crashed off the bar.

I wonder if he would have admitted a fluke if the ball had found the net?

Neil Roberts should have done far better after being put clear on goal but his shot curled round Knight but went wide of the right post.

His chance to make amends for the miss came soon after as he raced clear down the left, cut in on goal, but instead of shooting decided to cross low across the face of goal with no one really in a good position to pick up the ball.

It was always in the back of your mind that, despite Wigan's dominance, the home side would sneak an equaliser and they had a couple of opportunities to do just that as the game neared it's conclusion.

Jamie Cook fired straight at Carroll from just over 20 yards and with little over five minutes remaining Linighan rose unmarked above the Wigan defence to head goalward from a free kick outside the area taken by Oxford substitute Joey Beauchamp but his effort sailed wide.

Roy Carroll showed his displeasure at the sloppy Wigan defender and had a slanging match with centre-half De Zeeuw.

With seconds ticking away and the possibility that they would go back up the M42 with less than the vital three points, Latics made sure of the game with Liddell's second Goal of the Season candidate in just four days.

Kevin Sharp's throw in on the left found LIDDELL on the corner of the penalty area and quick as a flash he span around and fired the ball in the far top corner over the head of Knight.

Bruce Rioch has complained that his strikers aren't getting close in and poaching goals but I'm sure he wouldn't have done too much moaning about that one.

Three valuable points that keeps the pressure on Walsall and Reading who also won their respective games against Stoke City and Bury and also keeps Wigan in third place.

FULL TIME: Oxford 0 Wigan 2