Report by SJG

FRIENDLY

MORECAMBE vs WIGAN ATHLETIC

29^th July 2023

THE FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL.

Less than 24 hours later and Latics had their final run out against a Morecambe side that was looking to build after suffering relegation from League One in the previous campaign.

The Mazuma mobile stadium saw a completely different starting eleven take the field and the new team quickly got into a good passing rhythm as they dominated the early play without really threatening the home goal.

Morecambe had the first real chance when a corner found Davenport in space but his shot from the edge of the box failed to trouble Tickle in the Latics goal.

After 18 minutes Wigan finally carved out a chance, the impressive Balagizi set the move in motion with a good break and he found Chris Sze in space, the ball was worked out to the right were Adeeko, playing as a right back, collected, before delivering a fine cross that AASGAARD headed home from close-range.

Latics continued to dominate and Hughes fired in a pin-point cross but Chris Sze, on the stretch, could not quite get the required touch.

Aasgaard and Matt Smith were controlling play and picking passes at will and on 35 minutes a lovely piece of ball control by the young Norwegian saw him chest the ball before hitting a dipping volley that flew inches over the crossbar.

Morecambe did find the net on 40 minutes when Aasgaard took too many touches and was dispossessed by Micheal Mellon and the Shrimps forward slid the ball home, only for the referee to award Wigan a free-kick for the initial challenge.

Three minutes before the break Latics nearly netted the second. Hughes stepped forward confidently from his defensive duties before finding Brennan wide on the left. The winger checked inside and let fly with a curling effort that flew narrowly wide.

Half Time; Morecambe 0-1 Wigan Athletic

Latics continued to press in the early stages of the second half with a Tom Pearce cross being headed wide by Adeeko, and then Aasgaard feeding a lovely ball through for Luke Brennan that saw the young winger in space but the offside flag intervened.

Morecambe gradually grew as a force in the game and on 64 minutes Adam Mayor produced a thunderbolt effort from distance that Sam Tickle saved brilliantly as he flung himself to his left and turned the shot onto the bar and away to safety.

A number of substitutions appeared to be unsettling the balance of the Wigan side and Morecambe looked the more likely scorers as Jordan Slew fired an effort into the side netting and then on 85 minutes Cameron Smith got in behind the Wigan back-line and Tickle again came to the rescue.

As the game entered injury-time the home side threw men into attack and as a result more space was available.

BRENNAN made full use of that space when he checked in from the left flank and curled a delicious shot from fully 30 yards that went in off the underside of the bar.

The perfect ending to the pre-season programme.

Full Time; Morecambe 0-2 Wigan Athletic

Scorers; Aasgaard (51); Brennan (71);

Attendance; 1,508

WIGAN (4-3-3) -- Tickle; Adeeko, Hughes, Morrison, Pearce; M. Smith, Aasgaard, Balagizi; Sze, Sharif, Brennan; Subs; Watson, Adams, Chentouf, Robinson, Lloyd, Dwyer;

MORECAMBE (4-4-2) – Moore; Love, Senior, Bedeau, Rawson; Songoo, Bloxham, Davenport; Mellon, McKeirnan, Mayor; Subs; Smith, Melbourne, Slew, Stokes, Taylor, Smith, King, Brown;

Referee; Mr Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire).