Report by John Patrick Heeley

MORGAN SCREAMER EARNS COLCHESTER THE SPOILS

Wigan Athletic fell to their second successive defeat with a spectacular 41st minute strike from 18 year old Dean Morgan setting Colchester United on their way to their second successive victory in less than a week.

Latics' performance was inept to say the least with Paul Jewell going as far as saying that his side 'looked like a pub side', and he wasn't far wrong.

Constant hoofs upfield and passes going astray were the order of the day as Wigan failed to get a grip on the game.

To add insult to injury midfielder Tony Dinning received his marching orders for a rash challenge on Joseph Keith which had red card, his third since joining Wigan 12 months ago, written all over it. The former Wolves man now faces an automatic three match suspension.

Jewell opted for the same side that had taken all three points from Meadow Lane the previous Saturday and lost out to Port Vale 48 hours later with Mike Flynn getting the nod again in favour of Jason Jarrett to partner Tony Dinning in the centre of midfield.

Ian Breckin continued alongside Jason De Vos in the heart of the Wigan defence with Steve McMillan and Matt Jackson either side.

The game itself started off slowly with little in the way of clear cutchances from either side in the early exchanges.

Dinning sent a weak header straight at the keeper and in the 12th minute Latics skipper Jason De Vos knocked a ball on from the right for Scott Green to send home but his header lacked real power and direction, again ending up in the arms of Colchester keeper Richard McKinney.

A scrappy first half seemed to be heading for a goalless finish after neither side seemed capable of creating anything remotely dangerous to threaten their opponent's goal.

Well that was until the 41st minute when Colchester pulled one straight from the top drawer.

A long punt up field from McKinney found DEAN MORGAN who played a one-two with Micky Stockwell and, with his back to goal, Morgan turned his marker De Vos and unleashed a screamer into the top left corner of goal which beat the despairing Filan hands down.

Both sides saw changes during the interval with Jason Jarrett replacing Mike Flynn for Wigan and Scott McGleish on for Colchester's record signing, at £50,000, Adrian Coote.

McGleish almost extended the home side's lead moments after the restart but was denied by a fantastic save from John Filan after the former Barnet striker had been picked out by a Dean Morgan cross.

With around 20 minutes remaining a Nathan Ellington free kick went narrowily wide of McKinney's right post after Colchester had handled the ball 25 yards out and Ellington was denied by McKinney in the 76th minute.

With less than 10 minutes on the clock U's substitute Lloyd Opara, with only his second touch of the ball since replacing goalscorer Dean Morgan in the 81st minute, somehow missed a golden opportunity to put the game beyond Wigan's reach.

A McGleish ball across goal beat the Wigan rearguard with the lanky Opara waiting at the far post and just how he missed his chance beyond me as he fired against the upright from feet away.

Tony Dinning was sent from the field a couple of minutes later and nobody could have argued with the referee's decision after the Wigan midfielder lunged at former West Ham trainee Joey Keith.

Being down to 10 men seemed to inspire Wigan slightly and their best chance of the game came in the closing moments of normal time when Andy Liddell crashed the ball against the post from just inside the area.

To be honest had that ball gone in a draw wouldn't have really been a fair result as Colchester deserved it more, despite Wigan dominating possession for long periods.

Latics gave the ball away far too easily and the home side passed the ball about far better.

On paper Wigan should have hammered the Essex side, whose entire squad cost a mere £50,000 to put together, but you couldn't tell the difference on the day.