Report by John Patrick Heeley

Kevin Sharp opened the scoring as Wigan strolled past Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park in the Worthington Cup.

Further goals from Kilford, Haworth and Liddell with a consolation goal from Torpey made it 5-1 to Wigan on aggregate and puts them in the hat for tomorrow's draw for the second round.

Wigan took a slender, single goal advantage to Glanford Park for the return leg of this Worthington Cup first round tie and Scunthorpe certainly went all out in the opening exchanges of this tie.

The game was only a matter of minutes old when Scunthorpe went close to levelling matters with striker Lee Hodges putting Gareth Sheldon clear on goal on for Wigan keeper Roy Carroll diving well to deny him..

Scunthorpe's Graves fired a bullet of a shot midway through the first half, which Carroll did well to save and a few minutes later Carroll was called on again to deny another Sheldon effort with an outstretched boot.

Wigan also had their opportunities but just before the interval they stretched their advantage after Scott Green had been brought down just outside the box.

Roberto Martinez nudged the ball to KEVIN SHARP who fired his shot around the wall and left Scunthorpe keeper Tom Evans with little chance as the ball beat his outstretched glove to ease into the bottom left hand corner of the goal.

Half Time Scunthorpe 0 Wigan 1

It took Latics only ten minutes to increase their lead after Simon Haworth and IAN KILFORD played a quick combination on the edge of the penalty area leaving Wigan's longest serving player to blast past Evans from ten yards out.

3-0 up on aggregate and you'd think that they'd sit back and relax, but that was the old Latics. Within five minuites it was that man agian, Kevin Sharp, who lofted a ball from the left wing into the middle of the box and SIMON HAWORTH was there to power a header past the keeper to make it 3-0 on the night.

The game wasn't even finished there. A couple of minutes later it was 4-0 after ANDY LIDDELL lobbed a ball from the corner of the penalty area and nestled it sweetly into the far corner of goal on the left. The man walk's on water.

Scunthorpe did pull back a consolation goal with twenty minutes to go however. Sheldon put in a cross from the right which was met by STEVE TORPEY whose header sailed past Carroll to make it 4-1, but it was too little too late.

Scunthorpe did, however, have a couple of opportunities to score again in the dying moments and both came from substitute Quayley. His first effort rattled the woodwork and the second was sent just wide of the target.

WIgan now await with baited breath, hoping for a big name in the second round and hopefully a crowd puller.

Full Time Scunthorpe 1 Wigan 4 (Aggregate 1-5)