Report by John Patrick Heeley

Andy Liddell scored Wigan's 1,500th goal in the league and with it secured all three points at Griffin Park against Brentford, who previously had been unbeaten on their own turf this season.

The win stretches Wigan's unbeaten league run to 12 games, a feat only matched this season in Division Two by Brighton.

Paul Jewell made three major changes to the squad that started against Brighton the previous week with loan signing Gary Croft making his debut at left back with Steve McMillan moving forward to replace the injured Peter Kennedy who had been ruled out after sustaining a gash to his foot.

Pat McGibbon returned to the line up in place of Jason De Vos who is currently away with Canada as they defend the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The home side started brightly and had a chance after only one minute when Ben Burgess, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, sent a ball into the area finding Lloyd Owusu but his header went sailing wide of the mark.

Owusu saw another effort go the wrong side of the post with 20 minutes on the clock after Gavin Mahon sent him through on goal.

Andy Liddell wasted a golden opportunity in the 33rd minute when he got on the end of a cross from Steve Mcmillan but sent his shot way off target from less than 10 yards out.

John Filan was called into action in the last five minutes of the opening period when a move involving the forward duo of Owusu and Burgess with former Crystal Palace trainee midfielder Stephen Hunt who got the better of the Wigan defence before laying the ball across to Owusu but Filan was on hand with a superb block from the 6' tall striker.

Scott Green was forced into a goal line clearance when Brentford tried to bundle the ball home from a Paul Evans corner kick.

At the other end McCulloch teamed up with his former Motherwell team mate, Steve McMillan, to set up Andy Liddell but the scorer of the hat trick that had sunk Brighton the previous week was thwarted by Brentford's icelandic keeper Olafur Gottskalksson.

Tony Dinning had a shot on goal charged down as he collected a Gary Teale corner and Teale then saw his own effort saved by Gottskalksson.

The game had 0-0 written all over it as both sides look increasingly unlikely to breach their opponent's defences.

However it took a mistake by the Brentford rearguard to allow ANDY LIDDELL in to lob home for his 8th goal in 9 games and that historic 1,500th league goal for Wigan.

A long clearance from John Filan was flicked on by Lee McCulloch and the bounce of the ball was misread by the Bees' defence and landed in front of Liddell who stabbed the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the Brentford net.

Wigan held on to their lead and even the efforts of keeper Gottskalksson, who raced up the field in one final attempt to grab something from the game, couldn't save Brentford from slumping to their fourth successive league defeat.

Can someone explain to me where the referee found FOUR minutes of stoppage time from especially when you consider there wasn't a single substitution?