Report by John Patrick Heeley

Latics held by Barnsley in DW stalemate

Wigan Athletic and Barnsley shared the points after a hard-fought but ultimately forgettable goalless draw at the DW Stadium.

In a match short on quality and clear-cut chances, neither side could find the breakthrough, leaving both clubs still searching for momentum in the early weeks of the Championship season.

Wigan made the brighter start and almost took the lead inside the opening few minutes.

Nathan Byrne's cross drifted dangerously towards goal and clipped the underside of the crossbar before being cleared away.

Shortly afterwards, Jamal Lowe created another opportunity, picking out Michael Jacobs, whose effort was blocked by a determined Barnsley defence.

As the half progressed, Barnsley began to settle into the contest.

Conor Chaplin proved their biggest threat and came close to capitalising on a defensive mistake when Chey Dunkley's clearance fell kindly to him inside the penalty area.

However, the Wigan defender recovered well to block the striker's goal-bound effort.

The Latics' best chance of the opening period came from Charlie Mulgrew. The experienced defender curled a free-kick towards the top corner, only for Barnsley goalkeeper Brad Collins to produce an excellent save and turn the ball behind.

Barnsley emerged from the interval with greater purpose and began to pose a more consistent attacking threat.

Ben Williams surged forward from left-back and drove into the penalty area before flashing a shot across goal, while Chaplin and Luke Thomas combined well only for the resulting effort to drift wide.

Wigan goalkeeper David Marshall was then called into action with two outstanding saves in quick succession.

First, he tipped over a powerful strike from Barnsley captain Mike Bähre, before somehow keeping out a fierce volley from Thomas following the resulting corner. The Scottish international's heroics ensured the scores remained level.

Both sides pushed for a winner during the closing stages. Barnsley came close when Patrick Schmidt narrowly failed to connect with a dangerous cross, while Wigan searched for a late breakthrough of their own.

However, neither side could find the quality required in the final third.

The game ended on a sour note for Barnsley in stoppage time when defender Ben Williams was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Lee Evans.

Despite the dismissal, the visitors held on through the remaining moments to secure a point.