Wigan Athletic 3 v 0 Sunderland

Saturday 18th August 2007

Wigan Athletic finished this game at the summit of the Premier League. After what was a merciless destruction of media darling, Roy Keane's, expensively assembled flops, being the current best team in the land was just reward for a job that was very well done. Not content with that accolade, Antoine Sibierski ended the game as the Premiership's leading scorer as well!

Chris Hutching's side is now getting to grips with becoming an established Premiership outfit and their massacre of Sunderland, destined for the drop given this poor showing, showed Roy 'I will sign Leighton Baines, no matter what' Keane, the kind of team work, sublime skill and artistry that is needed to be a top flight team in this country.

To say that the blue and white clad Latics could have won this game by a landslide score is an under statement. If Sunderland had been a horse, they would have fallen at Beecher's Brook and would most certainly have been put down as early as half time, that is how bad Keane's charges were.

As early as the third minute Emile Heskey was brought down in the box with the goal at his mercy only for referee, Mike Riley to deny his penalty appeal. Mario Melchiot almost opened his Latics goal scoring account three minutes later.

Two more penalty appeals were given short shrift by Riley, who was probably feeling sorry for the shell shocked Black Cats, but there was no denying Heskey on the twenty minute mark when he latched on to a peach of a cross from Sibierski to slot past nine million pound Craig Gordon in the Sunderland goal. He was denied adding to his tally just 120 seconds later when he was adjudged to be offside by Riley, who must have seen something that the vast majority of people in the ground didn't!

From then on, Latics seemed to step up a gear, and the only surprise at half time was the 1-0 score line to the Latics.


Roy Keane had read the riot act to his inept team at half time had replaced Dwight Yorke and Anthony Stokes for Danny Collins and Liam Miller respectively. Hutchings was content to let his 'relegation certainties' (copyright all the so called professional pundits and national media) continue the obliteration of the poorest team to ever grace the JJB Stadium since Latics won promotion to the Premiership.

Sunderland's five million pound striker, Michael Chopra, actually managed a shot on target in the 53rd minute, but it came to nothing. Then the Black Cats had their most promising three minutes of the game when they won three successive corners, but their blatant lack of Premiership quality meant that nothing materialised from any of them.

Wigan Athletic then proceeded to put on the best football show seen at the JJB Stadium for many years. In the 61st minute midfielder Danny Collins resorted to thuggery to bring down Sibierski in the penalty area and Holland international, Denny Landzaat slotted the ball easily past a bemused Gordon.

Keane immediately brought on Russell Anderson for the woeful Paul McShane, then Dickson Etuhu was booked for a callous foul on Scharner before Anderson himself brought down Heskey in the penalty area in the 68th minute. Up popped Sibierski to become the Premiership's top scorer, courtesy of a well struck spot kick a minute later.

With the game won and Latics playing as though they were having a training session, Hutchings decided to bring on Julius Aghahowa for 'Le Sib' and Caleb Folan for Heskey. He even felt sorry for Michael Brown in the 82nd minute and decided to give him a run out in place of Scharner, to enable him to make his Latics Premiership debut.

By this time the 'finest supporters in the land' had left the JJB Stadium in droves, but in truth, you couldn't really blame them. Whether or not Latics will get any credit for this mind blowing display is open to debate. However, if you are a Latics fan reading this now...... are you bothered?

WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Andreas Granqvist, Titus Bramble, Kevin Kilbane, Luis Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, (Michael Brown 83), Denny Landzaat, Jason Koumas, Emile Heskey, (Caleb Folan 78), Antoine Sibierski, (Julius Aghahowa 76). Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Fitz Hall

Goal scorers, Emile Heskey 19 mins, Denny Landzaat (pen) 62 mins, Antoine Sibierski (pen) 69 mins

SUNDERLAND, Craig Gordon, Greg Halford, Nyron Nosworthy, Paul McShane, (Russell Anderson 62), Ross Wallace, Kieran Richardson, Dickson Etuhu, Dwight Yorke, (Danny Collins 46), Daryl Murphy, Michael Chopra, Anthony Stokes, (Liam Miller 46). Subs not used, Stern John, David Connolly.

Booked, Danny Collins 60 mins, Dickson Etuhu 65 mins

Referee, Mike Riley (West Yorkshire)

Attendance, 18,639

Wigan Athletic 1 v 0 Middlesbrough

Wednesday 15th August 2007

Wigan Athletic fans saw history made at the JJB Stadium during this game. When Antoine Sibierski scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 55th minute, he went down in history as the first ever Latics player to score on both his home and away Premiership debuts. Indeed, he is only the third player to achieve the feat since the Blues entered the Football League in 1978, following in the footsteps of Graeme Jones and Nathan Ellington.

Both managers, Chris Hutchings and Gareth Southgate, stuck mainly to the teams that were both beaten four days ago by Everton and Blackburn Rovers respectively. However, although Southgate named an identical line up, Hutchings opted to start with Antoine Sibierski up front in preference to Caleb Folan.

It is fair to say that the hosts dominated the vast majority of the game and the only surprise of the evening was that the men in blue and white stripes only won by a single goal. During the opening exchanges both Kevin Kilbane and Jason Koumas hit good efforts over the bar, whilst both Boro forwards, Yakubu and Jeremie Aliadiere, were not on the same wavelength for most of the game.

In the 24th minute Latics should have gone ahead and only a brilliant save by Mark Schwarzer in the Boro goal kept a Koumas free kick from blasting into the top corner of the net. By this time the Boro tackles were flying in thick and fast and referee, Steve Tanner, decided to produce the first card of the evening in the 37th minute for a rash challenge by Tuncay Sanli, who was having a wretched time coping with the pace of Koumas and Landzaat. Once again Koumas swung in the resultant free kick and was unlucky to see Andy Davies head the ball into touch.

The first half ended with Latics in the ascendancy, but they couldn't breach the Boro defence, having said that the Riverside Stadium outfit went into the dressing room relieved not to be at least a goal behind.

Neither manager made any changes at half time and almost immediately Latics went on the attack again. Koumas and Scharner had both missed long range efforts before Sibierski netted the winner in the 55th minute. Luis Antonio Valencia fired a speculative shot at Schwarzer, he failed to hold onto the ball and there was 'Le Sib' to poke home the historic goal, which as well as creating a personal record for the Frenchman, condemned Boro to their first ever Premiership defeat at the JJB Stadium.

From that moment on it's true to say that Latics had the upper hand and how Scharner failed to make the score 2-0 with almost the last kick of the game is a mystery!

WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Andreas Granqvist, Titus Bramble, Kevin Kilbane, Luis Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, Denny Landzaat, Jason Koumas, Emile Heskey, Antoine Sibierski, (Julius Aghahowa 66). Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Fitz Hall, David Cotterill, Josip Skoko,

Goal scorers, Antoine Sibierski 55 mins

Booked, Kevin Kilbane

MIDDLESBROUGH, Mark Schwarzer, Andrew Davies, Chris Riggott, David Wheater, Andrew Taylor, Tuncay Sanli, (Adam Johnson 71), George Boateng, Julio Arca, Stewart Downing, Jeremie Aliadiere, (Lee Cattermole 87) Yakubu, (Dong Gook-Lee 65). Subs not used, Brad Jones, Seb Hines.

Booked, Julio Arca, Adam Johnson, Tuncay Sanli

Referee, Steve Tanner (Somerset)

Attendance, 14,007

Everton 2 v 1 Wigan Athletic

Saturday 11th August 2007

Wigan Athletic opened up this season's Premiership campaign at a sun drenched Goodison Park just minutes after new boys Sunderland went to the Premiership summit following their home win against Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton boss, David Moyes decided to leave his summer recruits, Phil Jagielka and Steven Pienarr on the bench on the bench, whilst former Latics Leighton Baines was injured. In contract Latics boss, Chris Hutchings handed Premiership debuts to Mario Melchiot, Titus Bramble and Jason Koumas. Andreas Granqvist also made his first Premiership start under Hutchings, whilst Antoine Sibierski was on the bench.

The Toffee's started the game at full throttle with Mikel Arteta beginning to start what he was to do for most of the game, which was, run the show. And it was Arteta who created the first opening of the game in the sixth minute but his clever through ball was blasted over the bar by Leon Osman. Just a couple of minutes later Andy Johnson saw his shot go wide of the post as Latics just could not get into the game.

The central pairing of Granqvist and Bramble were being given the run around by a very lively Toffee's forward line, whilst all Latics had to show for their efforts in the first twenty five minutes of the game was a long range effort from Denny Landzaat.

In the 26th minute disaster struck for Latics when Granqvist faikled to get his head to a ball whipped into the box by Tony Hibbert. That wasn't a problem suffered by the alert Osman who looped the ball over the stranded Chris Kirkland in the Latics goal. On the half hour mark Bramble was lucky not to concede a penalty after a challenge on Arteta who was also giving Jason Koumas a torrid time in the middle of the park as well.

As the minutes started to tick away to the break the Latics faithful were fearing the worst and it came as a relief when the whistle blew for half time with Latics just suffering a one goal deficit. Such was Everton's dominance that a rasping 30 yard drive from Heskey, had it flown into the net with Tim Howard beaten, it would have been an injustice.

Both teams started the second period unchanged and finally Latics decided that it was time to take the game to Everton and began to show some attacking flair and Caleb Folan was was eventually crowded out by the Everyton defence as he ran at goal and Koumas delivered a beautiful corner kick onto Paul Scharner's head, but the ball went over the bar with Howard beaten.

On the hour mark Koumas unleashed a fearsome long range effort that went just inches over the bar. The Goodison crowd were finally being silenced as they sensed that Latics were finally starting to dominate proceedings.

In the 66th minute former Newcastle United star, Sibierski, was handed his Latics Premiership debut when he entered the field of play for the tiring Folan. Moyes decided to change things tactically on the 73rd minute and he gave a debut to new signing Pienarr with foal scorer Osman making way for him. For all Latics' attacking flair they still looked a bit dodgy at the back and they were punished when Everton seized on the problem when Victor Anichebe put the hosts 2-0 ahead with just fifteen minutes of the game remaining. Once again Granqvist was found wanting as Andy Johnson skipped past him to thread the ball to Anichebe who scored despite Brambles brave bid to clear the ball off the line.

However, if the Toffees thought that the game was won, they were forced into a rethink when debut boy Sibierski latched on to a nice through ball from Scharner and he gleefully slammed the ball past Howard. Alan Stubbs wasn't impressed as just a minute later he roughly challenged the Frenchman who thankfully, just picked himslef up, possibly sparing Stubbs from the referee, Mark Clattenburg's notebook.

To their credit, after conceding, Everton decided to play safe, passing the ball among themselves in their own half in preference to going for the killer third goal, that could possibly have left them exposed. Despite the best efforts of the Latics faithful to encourage their side the Toffee's were holding firm, and in truth possibly just deserved to take the three points that were on offer.

EVERTON, Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Joseph Yobo, Alan Stubbs, Joleon Lescott, Phil Neville, Lee Carsley, Leon Osman, (Steve Pienarr 73), Mikel Arteta, Andy Johnson, Victor Anichebe. Subs not used, John Ruddy, Phil Jagielka, Andy Van Der Meyde, Nuno Valente.

Goalscorer, Leon Osman 26 mins, Victor Anichebe 75 mins

WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Andreas Granqvist, Titus Bramble, Kevin Kilbane, Luis Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, Denny Landzaat, Jason Koumas, Emile Heskey, Caleb Folan, (Antoine Sibierski 66). Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Fitz Hall, Josip Skoko, Julius Aghahowa.

Goal scorers, Antoine Sibierski 80 mins

Referee, Mark Clattenburg (Co Durham)

Attendance, 39,220