• Wigan Athletic secured their sixth consecutive clean sheet with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Stockport County.
• Chances were limited in the first half with Latics Dale Taylor having a good strike well saved by Corey Addai.
• In first half stoppage time Thelo Aasgaard had a goal disallowed for a debatable handball in the penalty area.
• County upped their game in the second half and Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry forced a good save from Sam Tickle at his the near post.
• Tickle then did well to save from Odin Bailey as County tried to breakthrough the strong Latics rearguard.
• Despite some late pressure from the hosts the visitors held out for another impressive clean sheet.
• Latics drop a place to 15th and County are now in sixth place in the League One table.

Shaun Maloney made four changes to the starting lineup from the 3-0 victory against Peterborough on Tuesday night. Calvin Ramsay, Baba Adeeko, Michael Olakigbe and Silko Thomas were replaced by James Carragher, Callum McManaman, Dion Rankine and Jensen Weir.

It was a cagey opening by both teams as they tested each other out.

The first real opportunity came in the 18th minute when Dale Taylor fired at the County goal from the edge of the box, but goalkeeper Corey Addai made a good save.

Latics enjoyed plenty of possession and probed the County backline looking for a way through.

Luke Chambers was causing problems down the left-hand side, and he got clear inside the final five minutes of the first half, but an important last-ditch challenge from Jay Mingi prevented his strike on goal. 

Latics looked like they had made the breakthrough in first half stoppage time but Thelo Aasgaard saw his goal ruled out for an alleged handball. 

Chambers corner caused all sorts of problems in the box and eventually it fell into Aasgaard’s path, and his deflected strike found the back of the net.

It would have been a fair reflection of the first half play but referee Carl Brook gave a free-kick against Latics. 

Maloney replaced McManaman with Michael Olakigbe at half-time.

County made three substitutions including former Latics players Nick Powell and Callum Connolly.

County started the second half strongly with Powell prominent and they created their best opportunity of the game when Aston Villa loanee Barry broke clear.

Barry tried to beat Tickle at his near post but the England U21 international did well to keep out the effort. 

Callum Camps fed Odin Bailey with another opportunity but Tickle was able to make a fairly comfortable save.

Scott Smith replaced Aasgaard and Jonny Smith replaced Rankine on 57 minutes. 

Jonny Smith was soon in the action and he saw his side footed effort go wide of the post following some good build-up play.

The hosts were now throwing men forward in search of a breakthrough but Latics defence stood firm.

Goalkeeper Tickle was in confident mood and he got down well to push Barry’s goal-bound effort wide of the post.

County continued to press right to the end but Latics defended resolutely and secured a valuable point.

A sixth clean sheet in a row for Latics which extended their unbeaten run to six matches.

Latics would require two more consecutive clean sheets to equal Paul Jewell’s title winning League One team in 2002/03.

Overview

In a closely contested game Latics matched high flying Stockport for possession and had the better chances in the first half.

The hosts probably had the better of the second half, but they just didn’t have a cutting edge.

Latics defence had looked solid throughout and had limited County’s chances.

Jason Kerr and Will Aimson were once again outstanding and deserve great credit for their consistent performances this season. England U21 International goalkeeper Tickle made some good saves when required in another impressive defensive display.

Going forward there is still plenty of room for improvement. At times the central striker can look isolated and the forward players sometimes lack the creativity to unlock defences. 

It’s still early days in the season and Maloney’s young team are still a work in progress, but recent games have seen a marked improvement in performances.

With the international break coming up Maloney and his coaches will have time to work on making improvements in the final third before the next league game at Cambridge United on the 19th October.

Post match comments

Speaking afterwards to the media Maloney was pleased to see his side keep their sixth clean sheet in a row but admitted he was frustrated that they didn’t make the most of their first-half dominance. 

“I am frustrated with the first half – but pleased how we defended our box in the second,” he said.

“We were definitely more dominant in certain areas, but what was frustrating is that we didn’t turn enough of the first half into more chances.

“That’s something I need to work on. In the second half, they changed to a back three, and we had to defend the longer ball more and set plays again.

“The lads’ defensively have been fantastic and I just need the mentality to be more aggressive when we are on top in games like this.

“There is a big joy I get from watching a group of men fight for the badge. You cannot say this group of players in the last six games hasn’t given everything for the support and the Club. Hopefully the connection grows.”

Over 800 Tics filled the sold-out away end at Edgeley Park, and Maloney expressed he is always working tirelessly to give them a team to be proud of. 

“They are brilliant every away and home game. Honestly, I appreciate anyone who comes to watch us.

“I appreciate anyone who pays money to travel and buy a ticket. They were amazing today – and every time they sing my name, it’s a good feeling.

“I try very hard to give them a team they are proud of. It’s been an incredibly difficult 18 months or so, and the Club definitely feels stable now.

“The biggest thing now is to get this group of players to really start believing that if we get this right, we can be a really good team.

“At the moment, we’re a stable Club but I want more.”

Player ratings