Report by John Patrick Heeley

Paul Jewell's team sheet had the appearance of a friendly game with a mixture of experience, new signings and YTS players but this was a Worthington Cup First Round tie and the Wigan manager had his hand forced owing to injuries.

Greg Traynor had already broken the record books as Wigan's youngest player in a senior game when he came on as a late substitute for Andy Liddell at Brighton on Saturday but at Bloomfield Road he was given the chance to prove himself as Jewell placed him in the starting line up.

Young first year professional David Moores was thrown in at the deep end and partnered Simon Haworth, returning from injury, in attack.

There were surprisingly no places for Lee McCulloch or fellow striker Neil Roberts.

The first half was a pretty non-entity with neither side really threatening to break the deadlock but the home side had the better of the first forty five's play, passing the ball around well.

The closest either side came anywhere near to hitting the target came with thirty minutes gone when Blackpool substitute Martin Bullock raced down the right wing before whipping the ball across the area causing all sorts of problems for the normally rock solid Wigan defence.

Minutes later Richard Wellens went on a jinking run through the heart of the Wigan rearguard and the visitors were lucky that the former Manchester United trainee didn't have his shooting boots on as he fired a tame, low shot which didn't give Derek Stillie any difficulties.

It came as little surprise when Blackpool took the lead 10 minutes after the interval. Wellens took the ball from the bye-line and slotted it across to BRETT ORMEROD unmarked on the edge of the six yard box and last season's leading marksman made no mistakes when he hammered the ball into top corner.

Many would have expected the floodgates to open as Blackpool had begun to find the weaknesses in Wigan's defence but within minutes the visitors were on level terms.

Dariusz Adamczuk, currently on loan from Glasgow Rangers, received the ball down on the right deep into the Blackpool half and when many expected him to put in a cross the Poland international pulled the ball back to GED BRANNAN on the corner of the penalty area and the midfielder, with Phil Barnes off his line, cheekily lobbed the ball over the keeper and over the line inside of the far post with young Ged Traynor tucked inside the goalmouth, avoiding being penalised for offside.

It took less than 10 minutes for Blackpool to restore the lead and a spot of deja vu for the Wigan fans after a long ball from another product of Manchester United, John O'Kane, had found Neil MacKenzie on the right wing, who in turn took the proverbial with a little back heel finding Wellens and the Blackpool number 7 again became the provider for BRETT ORMEROD to hammer in his second of the night.

Well would you believe it? Wigan cancelled out Ormerod's efforts for the second time within two minutes following a long throw in from the right which found centre half Jason De Vos in the middle of the area and his neat little back flick of a header landed perfectly for SIMON HAWORTH who crashed a half volley into the back of the net.

With the minutes ticking away and the game heading for extra time Derek Stillie stepped up to collect a simple cross but fumbled the ball and guess who was there to collect and fire home from 10 yards?

BRETT ORMEROD will have probably never scored an easier hat trick with at least two of the goals gifted him by inadequacies in the Wigan defence.

The defeat was bad enough although expected but the news got worse on the final whistle when Canadian international Jason De Vos was stretchered off the field after picking up a knock minutes earlier.

At this rate JJ will be getting out his size 25's for a game this Saturday. Trust Wigan's luck to be playing the form team in the division just when they only have enough fit players to field a side in the Soccerdome Wednesday night league.