Report by John Patrick Heeley

Stalemate in Gloucestershire

Wigan Athletic were held to a hard-fought goalless draw by Cheltenham Town as the League One leaders saw their four-match winning run come to an end.

Despite extending their impressive unbeaten away record, the Latics were unable to break down a disciplined Cheltenham side and surrendered top spot in the table following the stalemate.

Cheltenham made a bright start and nearly opened the scoring after five minutes.

Alfie May's corner was headed back across goal by Will Boyle, but Callum Wright could only direct his header over the crossbar from a promising position.

The hosts continued to compete aggressively, frustrating a Wigan side that had arrived in Gloucestershire in excellent form.

Wigan's best opportunity of the first half arrived in the 24th minute when Gwion Edwards struck a low effort narrowly wide of the post.

Cheltenham responded as May fired off target after the ball broke kindly for him inside the visitors' penalty area.

Neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled before the break, with both defences remaining firmly in control.

The clearest chance of the match came eight minutes into the second half

Graeme Shinnie's pass found Josh Magennis, whose clever chest-down sent Will Keane through on goal.

However, the striker failed to hit the target and picked up an injury in the process, a costly miss for the promotion-chasing visitors.

As the game wore on, Wigan dominated possession but struggled to create clear openings against a well-organised Cheltenham defence.

Jack Whatmough forced a straightforward save from former Latics goalkeeper Owen Evans, who produced a composed display and secured his first League One clean sheet of the season.

The contest ended on a sour note for Cheltenham when debutant Ben Williams was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time, reducing the hosts to ten men.

Nevertheless, they held firm through the closing moments to claim a valuable point against one of the division's strongest sides.

For Wigan, it was a frustrating afternoon in front of goal, but the point maintained their unbeaten away record since the opening day of the season.

Cheltenham, meanwhile, earned deserved reward for an industrious and resilient defensive performance.