SAMMON FISHING FOR GOALS

Connor wants to impress as Latics fight for survival

Latics’ debut maker Conor Sammon was delighted to finally get on the pitch for his new club yesterday and says there is a lot more to come as the side get ready for a crucial few months of Barclays Premier league football.

Speaking after the disappointing 1-0 defeat against Manchester City, the Irish under 21 international could not hide his delight at seeing his first action since arriving from Kilmarnock in January: “I am delighted to finally make my debut today,” Sammon said, “ It’s been a long time coming since I arrived at the club.

“The manager has been very patient with me since I arrived and has let me settle in to get a good few weeks of training under my belt and I feel it’s definitely helped me.”

The Dublin born striker got into a great position in stoppage time and almost grabbed a deserved equalizer, but the ball just skimmed the outside of Joe Hart’s goal and Sammon said: “I haven’t actually seen the replay yet but some of the boys said it may have even hit the post - to be honest I thought it was going in when I hit it.

“I am obviously disappointed it didn’t go in as it would have been a fantastic way to end a debut, but all I can do is keep working hard and getting in the positions and hopefully the goals will come. It didn’t happen today but I’ll keep my head up and keep trying.”

Sammon said he only found out he was in the squad when the gaffer put the team sheet up pre-game and he said: “I found out today in the team meeting and I was absolutely buzzing when I saw my name on the bench as it’s what I have been working towards since I came here four weeks ago.

“I m very keen to make an impression and help the boys out in the position we are in and I’m looking forward to playing many more games.

“I feel I’m ready and it would have been a fantastic way to mark my debut if it had gone in but I’ll keep plugging away at it.”

He also praised club staff for the support they have given him and said: “They’ve been great, I’ve been working very hard on the training ground and the boys have been fantastic, they’ve been brilliant helping me get up to speed with fitness and sharpness.

“When you get an opportunity off the bench, it’s a great  chance to show what you can do and stake a claim for a permanent place, and I’m looking forward to the next game when I can hopefully I keep pushing.”

“I’m keen to come here and challenge for a first team spot and I’ll be working extremely hard to force my way in.”

Sammon believes the club have what it takes to drag themselves off the foot of the table and is ready to give his all in the fight for survival: “It’s definitely possible to stay up,” he said, “ we’ve got a confident bunch of lads here at the club and we take it one game at a time.
“I’m very confident I can help the team and provide some goals, and if I can do that I’ll be delighted. I’m also very focused on the job in hand and I am eager to help the team progress up the league table.

“After coming on today I’ll be looking to do the same again in future games and maybe even push for a start in a couple of weeks time.

“The next game is Birmingham at home and I can’t wait for that to come around, it will be a crucial game for the club, as they all are at this stage, and I’ll be giving my all to get us out of trouble.

“We definitely have enough quality and fight in this side and I believe we can prove that by turning our good performances into positive results.”

MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 WIGAN ATHLETIC

Last gasp Sammon chance almost rescues point

MANCHESTER CITY 1Silva 37

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0

Latics went down to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at big spending Manchester City today but a magnificent second-half performance meant they came away from Eastlands with their heads held high.

Roberto Martinez's men dominated the second-half and almost grabbed a stoppage time equaliser, but eventually went down to a first-half David Silva strike that leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table.

Latics started the game brightly and won a corner within the opening minute but it was the home side who created the first real chance when Mario Balotelli forced Ali Al-Habsi into a smart save as the Italian tried his luck from 30 yards.

The game flowed as both sides showed good movement with Latics more than a match for their high-flying hosts.

Tom Cleverley and Hugo Rodallega both saw chances go wide before Carlos Tevez burst into the area for City only to see Adrian Lopez make an excellent challenge to stop him.

The Argentinian had Latics in danger again on 22 minutes as he beat two players to get into the area before fizzing a shot just wide of Al Habsi's post.

Moments later David Silva fired one past the other post as Latics battled to stem the pressure applied by City, while trying to mount counter-attacks of their own.

James McCarthy blasted an effort over the bar on the half hour mark as Latics tried to find their way back into a game that was becoming increasingly frustrating for the home side as they missed a number of good chances.

The deadlock was finally broken on 37 minutes when an Adrian Lopez slip allowed Silva  to fire a low shot past Al-Habsi, who will be disappointed he did not do better to keep the ball out.

Latic's continued to fight but the sides went in at the break separated by the Spaniard's effort.

The second-half started well for Latics as they passed the ball with a sharpness lacking in the opening 45 minutes, and Antolin Alcaraz almost brought the teams levels on 47 minutes with a deft volley that beat Joe Hart but not the frame of the goal.

McCarthy was influential in the centre as he looked to find an opening for Latics, ably supported by Cleverley and Momo Diame who started to cause City problems as the game progressed.

On 60 minutes McCarthy forced Joe Hart into a spectacular save as he struck a sublime 30 yard effort which the City keeper did well to palm away for a corner.

Latics looked a different side from the opening 45 minutes as they probed the home side's defence, with City begining to look nervous under the sustained attack from Martinez's men. This frustration soon spread around Eastlands as the game's momentum swung towards the visiotrs.

The introduction of Charles N'Zogbia added to their threat as the Frenchman looked menacing down the right flank, working well with the overlapping Steve Gohouri.

Despite the much improved second-halfperformance the goal would not come and City dug in to launch more attacks of their own in the final ten minutes, trying to finish the game off.

Conor Sammon replaced Diame with seven minutes remaining, making his Latics debut but the Irishman had little time to make an impact as they pushed for the elusive equaliser.

Rodallega had a chance in stoppage time but his scuffed effort was easily stopped by Hart in the City goal, and when Sammon wasted a guilt-edged opportunity moments later it was clear it was not going to be Latics' day.

The final whistle came leaving Latics to rue the missed chances that could prove costly in the relegation battle.


Latics:Al Habsi; Lopez (Gohouri, 67), Alcaraz, G.Caldwell, Figueroa, Diame (Sammon, 83), Watson, Moses (N'Zogbia, 59), McCarthy, Cleverley, Rodallega

Subs:Pollitt, Gohouri, Gomez, Thomas, N'Zogbia, Di Santo, Sammon

Man City:Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta, Vieira, Y. Toure, Barry, Silva (De Jong, 82), Tevez (Dzeko, 85), Balotelli (Kolarov, 67)

Subs:Taylor, Kolarov, Dzeko, Boateng, Jo, De Jong, Boyata


http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10429,00.html

FUN TIME FOR FRANKIE

Gavin eases to dominant win

Exciting Birmingham southpaw Frankie Gavin produced an impressive display tonight as he dispatched Michael Lomax in a one-sided welterweight contest at the York Hall.
The former amateur world champion had too much class for his opponent and the end finally came with a seventh round stoppage after Gavin and dominated the fight.
Lomax had been a last-minute replacement when Gavin’s original opponent Jason Cook failed to make the weight, but the change did little to disrupt the Birmingham fighter as he boxed supremely to enhance his growing reputation.
Gavin went on the offensive from the opening bell and worked well behind a sharp jab that caught Lomax with alarming regularity throughout the fight.
The Birmingham prospect was tight in defence and landed a number of crunching body shots which wore Lomax down as the fight progressed.
Lomax fought bravely but had no answer as he was caught from a range of angles by Gavin who even switched to orthodox to connect with a quick combination.
By the six there was blood coming from Gavin’s nose and this seemed to give Lomax some brief encouragement but he was caught on the counter by his opponent every time he went on the offensive himself.
Gavin finally finished the fight off in the seventh when some good combination backed Lomax onto the ropes and his corner jumped in to save their fighter any more punishment.
Gavin can now look further afield after this impressive outing as he recorded his ninth straight victory since turning pro in 2009.

CAPTAIN'S ORDERS

Caldwell calls for focus during league run-in

Latics skipper Gary Caldwell was philosophical following Wednesday’s FA Cup defeat and now wants the side to focus their attention on the climax of the Barclays Premier League, starting with the visit of leaders Manchester United next week.
 The Scot was disappointed to exit the tournament at the fourth round stage but believes it now allows Latics to concentrate on the relegation battle: “Obviously it’s a blow as we wanted to go as far as we could in the cup,” he said, “ but we’ve got to take it on the chin, re-group and concentrate on eleven huge games for the football club.”
 “We’ve got a week off now and some good training where we can work hard as a group and get ready mentally and physically for the league leaders coming here, which will be a big test.
 “We’ve got to concentrate on our own job and, come the 22^nd May, we’ll hopefully have enough points to stay in this league.”

Caldwell played alongside his brother Steve at the heart of Latics’ defence against Bolton and the Scottish international  was impressed by his older sibling’s performance: “He played excellent, I thought he attacked the ball well and defended well,” he said, “ but it’s disappointing to lose. We didn’t pass as well as we can on a poor pitch. We didn’t play the conditions well and it cost us in the end.”

Suggestions that nine changes to the starting line-up had contributes to defeat were quickly rebuffed by Caldwell as he said: “The manager has done that all through the FA Cup and we’ve done really well. We played great at the Reebok with the same team so I don’t think that has got any bearing on the result or the performance.”
 The match also saw the defender sport a protective mask as he still recovers from the fractured cheekbone sustained against West Bromwich Albion earlier this month, and he said: “It’s something the doctor says I’ve got to wear because of the injury but hopefully I can get rid of it as soon as possible, but if it gets me on the park then I’ll wear it.
 “I wore it in training and it was ok but in games it does affect your peripheral vision slightly but like I said, if it gets me on the pitch to contribute then I’ll do anything I can for the team.”

Wednesday’s defeat now gives Latics a week off to prepare for the Manchester United game and Caldwell says the team are ready for the challenge: “The manager will show us what United are good at, give us options on how to deal with those things and what we’re going to do as a team.
 “I think we’ve shown enough this season that anyone coming here won’t fancy it and hopefully we can produce a good display, get the fans behind us and get a big win.
 “We’ve got talent all over the park to deal with them but they are a real threat when they’re on form.”

The skipper is pensive about the chances of survival and says all the side can do is concentrate on their own game and leave the talking to others: “Everyone on the outside world tells us who is going down and how many points are going to keep you up, but as a footballer you need to take it one game at a time. It’s an old cliché but that’s all you can do as you never know how many points it’s going to be.
 “All we can do is focus on our own performance and hopefully, with the talent we have got at this game, we will make sure we are safe at the end of the campaign.”


http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10429~2297717,00.html

POLLY PENSIVE AFTER LOSS

Keeper takes positives after night of cup heartbreak

Mike Pollitt was in reflective mood last night after Latics FA Cup run ended with a disappointing 1-0 fourth round loss to Bolton Wanderers at the DW Stadium.
 The defeat was frustrating for Pollitt but the keeper believes there were many positives to be gleaned from a game that otherwise gave little cheer for Latics faithful, especially the opportunity afforded the younger players to show the gaffer what they can do.
 “We’re obviously disappointed with the result,” he said, “but it gave everyone a chance to show the manager what we can do.
 “For lads like myself it gives us game time and a good opportunity to get into the gaffer’s reckoning, but it wasn’t to be tonight.”

The visitors had been fortunate to take the tie into the replay after Latics had performed magnificently at the Reebok Stadium two weeks ago, but Pollitt believes they probably deserved the victory last night: “We managed to do well in the first tie but it was always going to be tough tonight,” he said, “and all credit to Bolton as I think they deserved it.”
 “If you look at the two sides Bolton were all premier league players who play week in, week out but the lads who came in for us have done well as some of us haven’t played for a while.
 “It was difficult and looking back over the game then Bolton probably deserved it. They had two goals disallowed, hit the post, had a few shots I’ve saved, so if you’re looking at chances then the best side probably won on the night.”

Latics almost grabbed an equaliser when Jordi Gomez smashed a shot onto the Bolton crossbar mid-way through the second-half and Pollitt said: “We managed a little a counter-attack, I saw Franco running off and I managed to get it forward and into the box where it fell for Jordi, it would have been a good goal for us but it wasn’t to be.

“It would have given us a chance in the fifth round if we had won but it would have been difficult going down to Fulham but you never know, there’s always the chance to progress in the competition.”

Despite the disappointing cup exit Pollitt believes the team will re-group and can now focus on the fight for Barclays Premier League survival: “The other players came in tonight and have shown the manager what they have,” he said, “there is still eleven games left in the league campaign and we’ve got to give it everything we’ve got.
“We’re going to need all the bodies we have between now and the end of the season and hopefully we can work hard as a team and get the points to push us up the table and on to safety.”


http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10429~2295501,00.html