Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan Athletic again failed to take all three points from a game that they should have had wrapped up by half time.

A goal from Pat McGibbon, who had only just come on as a half time replacement for Neil Roberts, gave Wigan the lead directly after the restart but Bournemouth's Eddie Howe cancelled it out twenty minutes later.

Wigan created a number of chances during the first half but yet again failed to turn them into goals.

However with little over 5 minutes on the clock the first real chance of the game fell to the visitors when leading scorer Jermaine Defoe, on loan from West Ham, stole in and hit a curling shot but his effort went just wide of the post.

Bournemouth's French keeper Michael Menetrier was called into action 4 minutes later when Lee Ashcroft hit a 20 yarder which took a deflection forcing to keeper to make a superb save at his left post forcing the ball behind for a corner.

Ashcroft was in action again on 16 minutes stealing in behind the Bournemouth defence only to see his shot hit the side netting.

Five minutes later Neil Roberts wasted one of the best chances of the half when he got his head on the end of a Lee Ashcroft cross but from only yards out with the keeper apparantely beaten he managed to put the ball wide of the post.

In the next few minutes Green and Liddell both had chances to break the deadlock but despite their efforts a certain sharpness in front of goal was missing and Bournemouth were let off the hook.

As half time approached Lee Ashcroft was denied by Bournemouth's Kevin Broadhurst as the defender managed to beat him to the ball as Ashcroft threatened to tap in at the post, putting it behind for a corner.

The visitors had a couple of opportunities to score themselves in the final minutes of the half first up was James Hayter who fired over the bar from inside the penalty area and that was followed by Steve Fletcher whose shot went the same way.

Wigan caretaker manager Colin Greenall made a couple of changes during the interval with centre half Pat McGibbon and midfielder Stefan Bidstrup replacing Neil Roberts and Darren Sheridan.

Northern Ireland international PAT MCGIBBON didn't wait long to make an impact on the game and within a minute of the restart he grabbed his second goal of the season.

Ged Brannan placed a free kick into the box from the right, Bournemouth cleared but only as far as McGibbon who fired a low shot from 10 yards into the back of the net with his first touch of the game.

Eight minutes later Andy Liddell went agonisingly close to increasing Wigan's lead after Lee Ashcroft had set him up but his shot from 20 or so yards out crashed against the foot of the post and went out for a goal kick.

Roy Carroll denied Hayter who had raced into the area unchallenged and hit a low shot goalwards but Carroll did well to block with his legs.

Midway through the half Jermaine Defoe forced Carroll into another fine save when he fired a shot from just outside the box which the Wigan keeper had to fingertip over his bar for a corner.

The resulting corner was cleared by Wigan but at the expense of another corner.

With every single Wigan player in their own penalty area to defend Danish midfielder Claus Jorgensen swung the ball in from the flag, the ball was cleared but only as far as James Hayter whose shot at goal was blocked by Ged Brannan who sent the ball up into the air and with a number of Bournemouth players seemingly queueing up at the post EDDIE HOWE nodded into an empty goal to level the score.

Wigan pushed forward in search of a winner but it wasn't to be with McGibbon, Liddell, Martinez and Ashcroft all having a go but Wigan's inability to finish teams off showed through again and they had to again settle for a solitary point at home and you'd have to go back to January 20th for the last time they managed to take all three points.

Hopes of automatic promotion to Division One have all but gone and if results continue to go the same way for Wigan the play-offs may be out of the question as well.

We keep saying that someone is going to get a hiding from Wigan but Lord knows when. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later.