• Wigan Athletic were defeated 2-1 by promotion-chasing Huddersfield Town in the early kick-off at the Accu Stadium.
• In a tight first half the Terriers created the most chances from set-pieces and went ahead on 34 minutes when Cameron Humphrey’s cross found Ilias Bronkhorst who headed home at the back post.
• Latics were better in the second half and Jon Mellish headed over from the six-yard box and Charlie Gray curled an effort wide.
• But Huddersfield effectively sealed the three points in the 80th minute when a mistake in midfield by Brad Burrowes allowed the hosts to break quickly and Derensil Sanchez Fernandes finished past Joe Whitworth.
• Substitute Christian Saydee produced a spectacular late goal for Latics in added time but it was all too late for the visitors.
• Latics remain bottom and Huddersfield are top of the League One table.

Gary Caldwell made five changes to the side that lost at Oxford United in midweek, with James Carragher, Jon Mellish, Dara Costelloe, Sonny Perkins, and Reggie Walsh replacing Archie Harris, Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Charlie Gray, Scott Hogan, and the suspended Fraser Murray. 

Latics started confidently and passing the ball to good effect. But the hosts soon started to impose themselves and former Latic Ashley Fletcher hitting the bar with an effort off his shoulder. 

Huddersfield were getting far too many set-pieces and from one of those a cross from the left found the head of Sean Roughan at the back post, but he could only head wide of the target. 

Latics did put together a dangerous attack of their own when Connor Barrett drove inside and linked up well with Jon Mellish and the former Carlisle man crossed low and hard across the six-yard box, but no Latics player could get on the end of it.

Following a succession of corners the Terriers went close again from a Roughan header at the back post before Joe Low looked to tap in the rebound, but Joe Whitworth did superbly to smother his effort at very close range. 

The home side did go ahead on 34 minutes when a left-sided cross from Humphreys found Bronkhorst at the back post and he headed powerfully past Whitworth. 

Latics tried to respond when Walsh floated a free-kick to the back post but Carragher’s header could only land on the roof of the net. 

The Terriers continued to create more chances though and Whitworth once again did superbly to deny former Latic loanee Joe Taylor. Taylor’s header looked destined to find the net but the former Crystal Palace keeper tipped the ball onto the bar and away before referee David Rock deemed Taylor to have pushed Burns and awarded a free-kick. 

Early in the second half substitute Gray sent a corner into the area which Carragher nodded towards Mellish for a header that went inches over the bar. 

Latics were growing into the game and Walsh drove forward before finding Gray on the edge of the box. He worked some space for himself and curled an effort wide of the target.

Saydee then managed to hold off his marker before powerfully striking at goal and forcing a good save from Matty Young. 

But with Latics pressing for an equaliser a mistake by Burrowes gifted the ball to the hosts who broke quickly and Fernandes raced clear and finished past Joe Whitworth.

Latics managed to pull a goal back through Saydee in added time when he curled a strike over the top of Young and into the back of the net, but it was just too little too late.

Overview

It was always going to be a tough ask to get something at high-flying Huddersfield but Latics acquitted themselves fairly well at the Accu Stadium without creating too many chances.

Latics had defended well for most of the first half but they had also conceded far too many set-pieces from which Huddersfield had gone close.

They were once again outmuscled in many of the 50/50 challenges and they will need to improve their physicality if they are to survive in League One.

Ironically 20-year-old on-loan midfielder Charlie Gray picked up his fifth yellow card for an innocuous foul and will be suspended for one game.  

The visitors were much better in the second half and had gone close with Mellish and Gray. As they had done against Oxford they had grown into the game and with the introduction of Gray and Saydee they looked more of a threat.

Unfortunately when Latics were pushing for an equaliser a mistake in midfield by Burrowes allowed Huddersfield to break quickly and seal the three points.

Saydee produced another magnificent strike to follow up his goal at Oxford but it was far too late for Latics to make a comeback.

Surely the in-form striker should start at Leicester City if Latics are to stand any chance of getting a result at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.

Post-match comments

Speaking to the media after the game, Caldwell said:

“Another defeat that I think we’ve handed to the opposition rather than one they earned. I thought we controlled the game without doing a lot in their half.

“In the first half, I think we could have been better passing forward, with the game plan we wanted to play today – we played with two number nines and tried to play in behind and play forward more than we did.

“I still think that at the end of the first half, we have to come in at 0-0. They didn’t create any big chances.

“We restricted them by sitting off and denying space behind, which we know they want, and you can see in the second half that when the game did open up, in moments, they’re very dangerous.

“Disappointing to come in behind, 0-0 probably would have been fair, but again, we give ourselves a mountain to climb. We had a go, but we’ve spoken about doing that at 0-0 and being a more progressive team at 0-0, rather than 1-0 down.”

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