Wigan Athletic 0 - Aston Villa 0

By Neil Gunner
November 20 2006

Wigan Athletic fought out a goalless draw at the JJB Stadium on Sunday despite dominating most of the game.Lee Mculloch started the early pressure when a brilliant cross sent in by Camara was met by the head of the striker only for Sorensen to parry the ball wide from point blank range.

Gary Teale kept up the early pressure overlapping with Emerson Boyce to cause mayhem on the right wing and causing panic in the Aston Villa defence in the early stages. And in a vibrant opening, midfielder Scharner soon had his first sight of goal, dragging a rifled, low shot from the edge of the area narrowly wide of the target.

Villa kept tight at the back and somehow managed to keep Wigan out in the first half. Early in the second half Villa's Isaiah Osbourne headed an Emmerson Boyce cross on to his own upright as Wigan kept up the pressure.

Josip Skoko, in his first game back after being out with a hamstring injury played a major part in Wigan’s midfield dominance,proving he is a true clean and crisp passer of the ball and showed his experience by supplying the front men and wingers with some quality through balls and even pushing through to go for goal himself. His brilliant performance was only cut short due to lack of match practice and was subbed in the 78th minute for Denny Landzaat. As in the first-half, despite bossing possession, Wigan struggled to carve more clear-cut openings.

Henri Camara continued to latch on to some quality balls passed through midfield and continued to twist and turn past defenders only for his efforts to be saved or blocked. Paul Scharner looked eager and hungry to impress in front of the Sky cameras getting forward at almost every opportunity.

David Wright and Matt Jackson stepped into defence and continued to impress throughout the game remaining solid at the back,DeZeeuw as ever was his usual strong solid self despite a niggling toe problem.

Villa, missing Stilian Petrov's prompting presence in midfield, played on the break but Barry's rising shot, after a deft step-over from Chris Sutton, was their only real effort on goal before a late rally saw some easily defended pressure come to nothing .

Paul Jewell after the game commented :
"We were terrific. In the first half that's as well as we have played in the Premiership.
"All that was missing for the icing on the cake was a goal or goals. We missed some good chances but that happens.
"We were great and for a 0-0 it was a good game. At least we are creating chances and do look like we can score goals, although not on this occasion."



Wigan: Kirkland, Boyce, De Zeeuw, Jackson, Wright, Teale (Cotterill 76), Skoko (Landzaat 78), Scharner, Kilbane, Camara, McCulloch.
Subs Not Used: Filan, Johansson, Webster.

Booked: Jackson.

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Mellberg, Cahill, Ridgewell, Bouma, Agbonlahor, Osbourne, Barry, Whittingham (Agathe 51), Sutton, Angel (Davis 67).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Baros, Berger.

Att: 18,455

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).