Report | Latics 0 Bristol Rovers 0
A point on the board and a clean sheet for Latics.
Thelo Aasgaard and Kyle Joseph impressed in a positive first half performance.

Wigan Athletic 0

Bristol Rovers 0

Latics secured a point and a clean sheet at the DW Stadium on Tuesday evening, ending a four-match losing run in the league with a 0-0 draw against Bristol Rovers.

The young duo of Kyle Joseph and Thelo Aasgaard impressed in the first half, but those glimpses of quality were replaced by gritty and determined performances from both sides in the second half, with Latics no doubt pleased to steady recent results with a point.

Latics made three changes from Saturday's 2-1 defeat against Oxford United, with Norwegian youth international Thelo Aasgaard into the starting XI after scoring as a substitute against the Yellows, alongside midfielder Alex Perry and defender Adam Long, the latter returning from suspension to replace Emeka Obi.

Dan Gardner missed out due to an injury picked up against Oxford, whilst Joe Garner wasn't involved in the squad.

Latics were bright in the opening exchanges, creating positive passages of play between Tom Pearce, Matty Palmer and Aasgaard on the left.

Pearce's cross teed up Aasgaard late on at the weekend, but within four minutes of this one he almost found the back of the net with a delivery aimed for his team mate, when his first time cross looped over Anssi Jaakkola, only to drop narrowly wide of the right post.

Latics were at it again not longer after, when Perry's diagonal pass found Pearce on the left, his was the perfect ball into the box, but Aasgaard couldn't connect for what surely would have been the game's opening goal.

In the space of just 60 seconds, Sam Nicholson rounded Jamie Jones at the other end, only to fire his shot straight at Curtis Tilt on the line. The danger wasn't over, however, with Tilt once again forced into a goal-saving moment, this time heading clear after a mix up between Jones and Long on the line.

Then came the first half's big talking point, a clearance from Erhun Oztumer that had Chris Merrie holding his head on the floor in the Bristol Rovers penalty area.

The midfielder went to head a loose ball and was seemingly caught in the face by the Charlton Athletic loanee, only for the referee to award a free kick to the visitors, rather than a penalty to Latics.

Bristol Rovers rarely threatened Latics' goal after that earlier cause for concern, and it was in fact Latics who ended the half the stronger, with another Pearce cross giving Leam Richardson and Gregor Rioch's side an opportunity.

The ball in was flicked on by Aasgaard at the near post, but it bounced up a fraction to high for Kyle Joseph, who managed contact with his head, but couldn't get the power to beat Jaakkola on his line.

If the first half had smatterings of quality, the second was much more of a battle, with few chances created at either end.
Tom James' long range free kick tested Jaakkola, but it was about as near as it got for either side in the second 45 minutes, with both teams battling well in their own penalty areas to cancel each other out.

A late substitution saw 18-year-old Harry McHugh introduced for his league debut, whilst Olly Crankshaw replaced Aasgaard in stoppage time.

Latics: J.Jones (Capt); James, Long, Tilt, Pearce; Merrie (McHugh 83), Perry; Palmer, Aasgaard (Crankshaw 90), Massey; Joseph

Subs: O.Evans, Obi, Robinson, Baningime, Jolley

Bristol Rovers: Jaakkola, Leahy, Grant, Ehmer (Capt), Upson, Nicholson, McCormick (Walker 65), Hare (Kilgour 78), Baldwin, Oztumer (Barrett 65), Koiki (Westbrooke 65)

Subs: van Stappershoef, Liddle, Harries

Report | Wigan Athletic 0 Bristol Rovers 0