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I'll get the weather out of the way first. It was shocking! The wind was constant throughout and the rain came in heavy showers at regular intervals. Those of us on the touchline without waterproofs were definitely regretting our choice of wardrobe. The Clarets Mad gantry was offering scant protection from the elements and a number of brollies went to umbrella heaven.
We began kicking into the gale but quickly found that it was going to be tough as any time the ball left the deck it hung and drifted back in the direction it came from. Danny McDonald was struggling to reach the half way line with his goal kicks and any long ball attempts were totally futile.
When we kept the ball on the island you could see the quality of our football. Joe Jackson had our first chance but was stretching as he connected with a right wing cross and his effort flashed across the face of goal. Minutes later Michael King worked an opening and lobbed the keeper but saw his shot come back off the bar.
We didn't actually work the keeper though until the 15 minute mark. Joe McKee broke through the middle and fed Dom Knowles who attempted to slot past the keeper but saw it tipped wide. The players lined up for the corner but the ref pointed for a goal kick. Now I don't want to criticise for the sake of it but in these situations surely the ref must think to himself "perhaps it was a save"?
Wigan then worked our keeper with a long ranged effort, backed by the wind, forcing McDonald into a smart save low to his right. The ball came free from his grasp but he reacted swiftly to snaffle up the loose ball. It was the only real effort the visitors managed in the first half and when you consider the advantage of wind at their back you had to think that they were missing an opportunity but the next period was to show that perhaps such a strong wind can't always be deemed an advantage.
Before the break Jackson had two more attempts to break the deadlock but on both occasions was denied by the keeper. There was also a booking for midfielder Dave Lynch, who committed a cynical foul to prevent a break when we were very stretched.
The 2nd half began and we had an early chance as once more Jackson found the ball at his feet. It was a little hurried though and he shot wide under pressure. This though was our only chance for the opening 25 minutes of the half. At the other end McDonald reacted well to palm out a deceptive cross shot from a right wing set piece.
When we passed the 70 minute mark we made some changes. Apparently this was because of the U-16 game on Sunday and restrictions for players. If one of our subs had played for more than 20 minutes they would have been unable to play the following day. Oliver Devenney and Lynch were replaced by midfield pair Archie Love and Steven Hewitt. The game wasn't overly influenced by the changes though. King on the left wing was looking dangerous cutting in and he managed to get his marker booked, before forcing the keeper to make a great save, tipping an inch perfect lob over the bar.
We were frantically searching for a regulation time winner and a header from a corner in injury time rattled around the angle of post and bar before being headed out. It could have crossed the line but it was very hard to tell and the linesman waved away appeals. The ref curtailed any further appeals with the final whistle which brought penalties into play.
Our penalty taking was, in a word, poor. Wigan were clinical. As a result we are now left with only one cup competition to play for.
The penalties were taken by:-
Knowles (missed), Wigan (scored), McKee (saved), Wigan (scored), King (scored), Wigan (scored), Jackson (missed).
Team:- Danny McDonald, Ed Williams, Jake McEneaney, Steve Edwards, Curtis Woods, Oliver Devenney (Archie Love), Dave Lynch (Steven Hewitt), Joe McKee, Michael King, Dom Knowles, Joe Jackson.
Subs not used:- Christian Paulat-Brigg, Alex Coleman.