Wigan Athletic 1 Reading 0 - Saturday 17th October 2026

Hogan on target to end Wigan's dismal run

Report by John Patrick Heeley

A second-half strike from Scott Hogan earned Latics a crucial 1-0 victory over Reading at The Brick Community Stadium, securing only their second league win of the campaign.

Hogan’s close-range finish broke a 446-minute goal drought for the Latics and provided a much-needed lift to Gary Caldwell’s side.

Wigan began the contest with high intensity, dictating the tempo and frequently pinning the visitors into their own defensive third.

Young winger Brad Burrowes was a constant threat early on, seeing one looping header land onto the roof of the net before testing Reading goalkeeper Joel Pereira with a sharp, low drive.

Reading, despite their potent attacking record this season, struggled to establish their usual pressing game against a fluid Wigan midfield.

However, the Royals still carved out the best clear-cut opening of the first half when Lewis Wing set Kyreece Lisbie free through the middle, but Wigan goalkeeper Joe Whitworth produced an excellent one-on-one save to deny the forward.

The Latics should have gone into the interval ahead. Just before the whistle, on-loan Chelsea midfielder Reggie Walsh found himself unmarked inside the box but dragged his left-footed strike inches wide of the post.

The second half began as a scrappy affair until tactical interventions shifted the momentum. In the 66th minute, Caldwell introduced Christian Saydee, a substitution that paid immediate dividends.

Just four minutes later, Saydee used his pace to break beyond the Reading backline and whipped a low cross into the six-yard box.

Pereira could only parry the ball into the path of Hogan, who instinctively bundled it home to send the home support into raptures.

Reading pushed aggressively for an equaliser in the final fifteen minutes with substitute Randell Williams delivering a dangerous low cross that rolled perfectly to Josh Stokes, but Whitworth again came to Wigan's rescue with a brilliant reaction save at his bottom-right corner.

Despite four minutes of added stoppage time, Latics held firm to claim a priceless three points.

Gary Caldwell praised his team's resilience after the game: "We have played well in recent weeks without getting our rewards on the scoreboard, so to see that ball go in was a massive relief. Christian Saydee made a huge impact off the bench, and Scott Hogan showed the striker's instinct we know he has. This is a big three points for us to build on."