Report by SJG

LEAGUE DIVISION ONE

WIGAN ATHLETIC vs CARDIFF CITY

 27^th September 2025

BLUEBIRDS MAKE IT ANOTHER BLUE DAY FOR THE LATICS

Wigan Athletic fell to their first home league defeat of the 2025/26 season against a very strong and impressive Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.

Latics welcomed the Bluebirds to The Brick Community Stadium for the first time since 2022 and the Welsh side brought a strong and vocal army of fans as they looked to make further strides towards promotion. Latics, for their part, were looking to respond in the right way following back-to-back defeats to Bolton Wanderers and Wycombe Wanderers in the past seven days.

The game against Brian Barry-Murphy's Bluebirds, who have made an impressive start to the 2025/26 season, winning five and drawing twice in their opening eight matches, was sure to be a stern test of Wigans credentials as possible play-off contenders.

Captain Jason Kerr overcame the injury that ruled him out for the last fortnight to return to the starting XI, while Callum Wright was back alongside Ryan Trevitt and Matt Smith in the engine room. Christian Saydee also made his return after serving his three-match suspension, replacing Dara Costelloe up front.

Straight from kick-off it was clear that Cardiff would be on the front foot and dominate possession, but Wigan looked sharp and dangerous on the break and the opening quarter was an end-to-end affair. Both sides were hungry to break the deadlock. The first chance fell the way of the Welsh side, a curling ball into the box looked threatening but Sam Tickle was quick to venture from his line to claim the ball. Saydee made his presence known to the Bluebirds and one neat piece of control was all it took to set up a dangerous Latics counter. The attacker played a driven ball to Paul Mullin down the left flank and the Wrexham loanee did well to hold up the ball. Mullin fizzed a short ball into the box but the pull back somehow evaded both Saydee and Callum Wright.

Cardiff full back Perry Ng was lively on the visitor’s right flank and his goalwards drive from the edge-of-the-box was blocked leaving the Tics defence scrambling to clear until eventually Hungbo got a foot to the ball and was able to avert further danger.

Cardiff were beginning to get greater control and Tickle was called into action once more, as he flung himself to his left to punch away Ryan Wintle's powerful deflected strike. The visitors deservedly took the lead after just 16 minutes with Perry NG firing home from close-range with the aid of a deflection off the unlucky Matt Smith.

The visitor's watertight backline made it so Latics' chances were now few and far between. Nathan Trott was commanding between the sticks and Gabriel Osho was now proving more adept at closing down any breakaways.

Wigans midfield was simply not able to retain possession and the strikers were relying on scraps to try and level the game.  After Saydee's saw his initial half-chance batted away by Trott, the ball ran loose and with the visitors unable to fully clear it Latics were able to feed the ball to Hungbo who sprinted at his marker before playing in Murray who crossed for a stretching Mullin to head just over the bar.

In the final moments of the half, Wigan got more numbers forward and Murray had a crack at goal from distance that was just too high to trouble Trott.

Half Time; Wigan Athletic 0-1 Cardiff City. 

It was a slow start to the second half, with the first real chance coming on the hour mark. Tickle was forced into a save after Ng was given room to pull the trigger on the edge of the box.

Having been forced to work hard to keep in the game in the first half Wigan were looking to be more positive but their plans suffered a double injury blow as first Trevitt and then Mullin limped off the field. 

Cardiff used their experience to manage the game as they continued to control the ball for long periods without really troubling the home goal.

With time running out more substitutions were made with attacking wing man Borges Rodriguez replacing defender Aimson.

Kerr got his header to a deep cross following a well worked set piece but a back-pedalling Trott was able to turn the effort behind and the resulting corner found the head of Costelloe but his effort lacked power and Trott saved.

Wigan threw more players forward and were caught by a Cardiff counter attack that saw the visitors finding space out wide and a searching cross found substitute Salech the wrong side of his marker Fox who, in desperation, grabbed his shirt and the keen-eyed referee awarded a spot kick that SALECH converted by sending Tickle the wrong way.

Fox was dismissed for his part in denying the initial goal scoring opportunity and will now face a ban.

Cardiff nearly added a third in the final seconds but R. Colwill drove his effort narrowly wide of the post.

Full Time; Wigan Athletic 0-2 Cardiff City.

Scorers; Ng (16), Salech (90+6, pen).

Attendance; 10,609

Wigan Athletic (3-5-2) --- Tickle; Fox, Kerr, Aimson; Hungbo, Wright, Trevitt, M. Smith, Murray; Mullin, Saydee; Subs--- Savin (G), Adeeko (for Trevitt), Costelloe (for Wright), McManaman (for Saydee), Cooper (for Mullin), Borges Rodrigues (for Aimson), Sessegnon.

Cardiff City (4-2-3-1) ---- Trott; Ng, Osho, Chambers, Bagan; Wintle, J. Colwell; Ashford, R. Colwell, Davies; Robinson; Subs---Lawlor (for Chambers), Turnbull (for J. Colwill), Willock (for Davies), Salech (for Robinson), Turner (G), Fish, Kellyman.

Referee; Mr. Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire)