Pre season Friendly. Wigan v Stanley.

[choirboy]

An interesting match tonight in very warm conditions.
Wigan started with a strong line up. Stanley had a blend of seasoned players and one or two youngsters including Procter and Perritt. Wigan were stronger and slicker with their patterns of play but they clearly forgot to put on their shooting boots. They made chances from having their big centre backs up for set plays. They hit the bar with an effort from 15 inches! Shots from outside of the penalty box were dealt with well by Savin. One really fierce shot was moving a lot in the air but Toby focused well and punched it away. In the last ten minutes of the first half Stanley got some forward momentum going and matched Wigan.
Both teams made a number of substitutions quite early in the second half and the presence in particular of Hamilton made a big difference. Also the addition of Whalley, Matt Lowe and young Dan Martin made a positive difference. Later in the match Sangare went off having played really well at left back. Ross Longelo moved from wide right midfield to left back and he proved how versatile he is! Lowe introduced a high press effect on the Wigan defenders with his positive running and closing down of defenders in possession. Lowe also caused the Wigan defenders problems with his battling attitude.
To summarise, Wigan should have been at least two goals up by half time but Stanley battled their way back into the match in the second half and they should be pleased with the result.
Best performances by Stanley players for me were: Mo Sangare who looked like a classy player, cool under pressure, skilful going forward and cool under pressure. Mo also looks really fit! Harvey Rogers had a good game at centre half and he got some excellent tackles in. Ross Longelo was very active and involved in good moves going forward and then showed his versatility when moved to the left side of the defence. Hamilton made a real difference and he showed real Captaincy qualities too.
857 watched the match including 386 from Wigan.
Looking forward to the start of the season.
ON STANLEY ON.