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Wigan boss “We actually hurt one of the best teams in the league”

7 years ago
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After watching Wigan 0 Newcastle 2, Warren Joyce says his team were denied anything from the game due to ‘fine margins’.

The Wigan boss claiming ‘we actually hurt one of the best teams in the league’.

Whether through necessity or not, the tactics from the home side helped make this one of the most tedious games of the season to watch, especially when in the second-half Rafa shut up shop and challenged Wigan to try and create anything.

The minimal problems the home side caused were mainly down to slack play by the visitors, not going with/matching a runner, with Vurnon Anita getting caught out for speed a number of times after half-time.

With Newcastle sitting back in the second-half, the stats (see below) give maybe a bit of an inaccurate slant, as the possession ended up 47% to Wigan but the Magpies worth far more than their 53% – dominating the opening period.

Overall it was simply job done – got a very good goal, defended well overall, then a decent strike late on to finish things off – taking the three points back to Tyneside and returning Newcastle to the top of the league.

It is funny because on our travels most of the opposing managers have said afterwards that they felt they could have got something from the game but rarely have – that is now an impressive eight wins, one draw and two defeats on the road – impressive by anybody’s standards.

Warren Joyce:

“I think we just needed to have a bit more devilment in the box in that second half, we had some really good opportunities from some good play but didn’t end with a goal in that period.

“If one of those chances goes in who knows? But I think in both halves we had a method about our play and particularly in the 2nd half we were good value for a goal but it just didn’t materialise.

“The first goal was poor from our own making, you can’t legislate for that, we were inviting a press and we lost it in a vulnerable area where we could have retained possession.

“We made a mistake and a lot of goals come from mistakes and that’s certainly how the goals have come in the last two or three games.

“But we have to dust ourselves down and try and eradicate the mistakes from our game.

“Every single game there’s been a set-back where we’ve had to juggle the side and tonight we’re already having to juggle the right-back position when  Luke Garbutt comes off. I thought Andy Kellett did well when he came on, it’s been a long time since he’s had first team games and playing out of position I thought he did a good job for us.

“We’ve tried to win every game since I’ve been here and none of the teams we’ve played since the Barnsley game have carved us open, we’ve had a way of stopping teams from creating many chances, I can’t recall the keeper having to make many saves to keep us in the games, which shows we have a method. The lads have shown a willingness to run and put their bodies on the line and stop sides from hurting us.

“I also think we’ve created opportunities but the final touch hasn’t been there. They’re the fine margins we have to work on.

“We played some good football in that spell in the 2nd half and we actually hurt one of the best teams in the league but unfortunately we end up with nothing to show for it.

“The last three conversations with the players after games have been the same unfortunately, where we’ve given everything but been undone by small margins.”

Here are the stats from BBC Sport:

Wigan 0 Newcastle 2

Goals – 

Newcastle: Diame 28, Atsu 78

Possession was Wigan 47% Newcastle 53%

Total shots were Wigan 9 Newcastle 11

Shots on target were Wigan 1 Newcastle 8

Corners were Wigan 5 Newcastle 6

Newcastle starting 11:

Darlow, Anita, Clark, Lascelles, Dummett, Hayden, Shelvey, Ritchie (Atsu 69), Gouffran, Diame, Gayle (Perez 82)

Unused Subs:

Sels, Mbemba, Yedlin, Tiote, Lazaar

Referee: Simon Hooper

Crowd: 14,562 (Newcastle 4,800)

(To read the instant NUFC fan/writer reaction to the match go HERE)

(To watch the two very good Newcastle goals go HERE)

(To view our interactive player ratings and add your own go HERE)

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