Report by SJG

FRIENDLY

WIGAN ATHLETIC vs STOKE CITY

 27^th July 2021

LATICS STEP UP THEIR PREPARATIONS WITH SOLID WIN.

Wigan Athletic earned an impressive 2-1 victory in this pre-season friendly against Stoke City as preparations towards the 2021-22 Sky Bet League One season continued. 

Callum Lang’s 35th-minute opener was cancelled out by Tom Ince on the stroke of half-time before Stephen Humphrys tapped home the winner in the 80th minute. 

Leam Richardson’s side welcomed supporters back to the DW Stadium for the first time in 507 days, as they looked to build on their victories against Oldham Athletic, AFC Fylde, and Bootle FC.

New signings Jack Whatmough, Max Power, Tom Naylor, Gwion Edwards and Charlie Wyke all started, alongside Jamie Jones, Tendayi Darikwa, Adam Long, Tom Pearce, Thelo Aasgaard and Callum Lang.

Nick Powell captained Stoke City on his first return to Latics, with Michael O’Neill naming a strong side including James Chester, Tom Ince, and Sam Clucas. 

It was the visitors who flexed their muscles early in the encounter, with Will Goodwin being able to take advantage of a stumble from Whatmough, but the forward scuffed his shot which landed safely in the hands of Jones. 

Latics responded well to their early scare and had their first chance of the evening in the seventh minute but Lang could only guide his header wide from Power’s right-sided corner. 

The home side began to gain the ascendancy midway through the first half, with Wyke often using his aerial dominance to bring others into play. 

Jones was called into action in the 23rd minute as he punched Ince’s deep free-kick away from danger with a number of players lurking, before Power tried an audacious effort from the half way line in an attempt to catch Stoke City goalkeeper Joe Bursik off his line. 

Latics continued to apply pressure as the first half continued, with Bursik making three strong saves in the space of two minutes. 

First, Lang picked up the ball on the turn and saw his low drive denied from outside the area, before Bursik acrobatically tipped Aasgaard’s effort wide after the Latics midfielder did superbly to beat his man and fire an effort on goal. From the resulting corner, Whatmough then forced Bursik into another save down to his right. 

At the other end, Richardson’s men had to remain alert, as Jones produced a brilliant save onto the crossbar to deny Powell after Ince slid him through on goal. 

The hosts finally made their pressure count in the 36th minute after LANG turned towards goal and unleashed a low strike into the far bottom corner.

Lang had a chance to score his and Latics' second after showing great endeavour to dispossess Ben Wilmot and bear down on goal, but the visitors got bodies back in time to recover and prevent the score.

The Potters got themselves level in the 43rd minute as Powell sent Tom INCE through on goal, and the winger finished low past Jones.

Half Time; Wigan Athletic 1-1 Stoke City.

Stoke started the second half in the same manner that they finished the first, but Eddy Jones could only slice his effort over the crossbar after he was found on the edge of the area by Ince’s cross from the right channel. 

With a number of substitutions made at the start of the second half, the game produced little in terms of openings for either side, with both adjusting to their new line-ups. 

Latics had Whatmough to thank in the 69th minute after the central defender produced a superb block to thwart Clucas from a tight angle after the former Swansea City man had drove into the area. 

After surviving long spells in the second half without the ball, and soaking up Stoke pressure, Latics hit their opponents with the winning goal. 

Will Keane's pressing from the front allowed him to intercept a short back pass to the goalkeeper, and he unselfishly squared it to HUMPHRYS to tap home into an empty net in the 80th minute. 

Humphrys almost had a quick-fire double on his first outing at the DW Stadium, with the forward’s deflected effort from outside of the area rolling past the near post.

It was another excellent run-out for Leam Richardson's men against a side in the division above, with Latics next facing Preston North End on Friday evening on home soil.

Full Time; Wigan Athletic 2-1 Stoke City.

Scorers; Lang (35), Humphrys (80); Ince (45+1);

Attendance; 2,000 (estimated)

Wigan Athletic (4-2-3-1) --- Jones (G); Darikwa, Whatmough, Long, Pearce; Naylor, Power; Edwards, Aasgaard, Lang; Wyke; Subs---Trialist (for Darikwa), Carragher (for Whatmough), Robinson (for Pearce), McHugh (for Power), S. Smith (for Naylor), Massey (for Aasgaard), Keane (for Lang), Trialist (for Edwards), Humphrys (for Wyke), Amos (G), Lloyd, McGee, Costello;

Stoke City (4-1-4-1) Bursik (G); Chester, Clucas, Tymon, Thompson; Wilmot; Ince, Powell, Macari, Jones; Goodwin; Subs---Bonham (G) (for Bursik) Fox (for Chester), Vrancic (for Clucas), Batth (for Wilmot), Norton (for Ince), Porter (for Powell), Smith (for Macari), Brown (for Goodwin), Fletcher, Sparrow;

Referee; Not Known.