Wigan Athletic director admitted his team almost paid a heavy price for not being able to defeat Cambridge United
Shaun Maloney praised Wigan Athletic’s “patience” after beating Cambridge United 2-1 at the DW – although he admitted they made things more difficult than they needed to be.
And when Thelo Aasgaard doubled the lead five minutes later – following excellent work from on-loan Fulham winger Martial Godo on his debut – it seemed the game was safe.
Shaun Maloney admits Latics made things difficult for themselves before claiming their first win in three matches.
However, Cambridge had other ideas and Fejiri Okenabirhie reduced the arrears shortly after Callum McManaman brought down James Brophy in the box.
The final was a tense 15-minute affair before Latics were able to record their first win in three matches.
And Maloney felt the game could and should have ended much sooner, as top scorer Charlie Wyke hit the post before being spectacularly denied by U’s goalkeeper Will Mannion before the break.
“It was probably a little more stressful than it should have been,” he said.
“But I guess that’s football, if you’re not as quick as the chances we had, especially in the first half.
It was a really tough game and it’s very difficult to stay patient when your opponent puts 11 players behind the ball.
“We tried different things tactically, you could see we could play a few more long balls diagonally behind them.
“When teams are so compact, you have to find different ways to hurt them.
“Staying patient is difficult and I also feel it when I get support.
“It’s difficult, and I’ve experienced that quite a bit in my career, when a team is put together like that, defending very tightly, by a good manager.
“You have to be patient and when you get the opportunity you have to be clinical. “We had two really big chances in the first half and if we had scored them, the feeling in the game would have been very different.
“But that’s why we have so many attacking players in the team and on the bench waiting to come on.
“You need that creativity and when someone beats someone one-on-one, it breaks all the structures – and that’s where the two goals came from.
“There was a five-minute period where we were 2-0 up and I felt like maybe we were a little bit more comfortable, we dropped our level a little bit.
“And as soon as the score is 2-1, it’s game and they can attack, because they have nothing to lose.
“But there was also a part that I really liked, at the end, when I saw the players trying their best not to concede a goal.
“I didn’t think we would be in this situation, but I was really excited.
satisfied.
“ I’m happy to see players who really give everything for the team.
“Latics now have five points – after starting the campaign with minus eight – and remain outside the drop zone on goal difference.
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