Football: Wigan are spared a Jewell rap

PAUL JEWELL spared his Wigan troops from a dressing-room blast despite watching them let Norwich off the hook in a pulsating top-of- the-table clash.

The Latics were forced to settle for a point for the third straight game when veteran striker Iwan Roberts slammed an equaliser to cancel out Andy Liddell's first-half goal at the JJB Stadium.

Norwich came close to snatching all three points after Wigan allowed the visitors to dominate after the break. But Jewell refused to hammer his players for failing to win a game they ought to have had sewn up by half-time.

Jewell said: "The only thing we were missing was the result. Norwich are one of the biggest teams in the division and we have shown we are not far behind them.

"Of course I'm disappointed not to have won, but I'm not going to be too harsh on the players. They were excellent in the first half but we're not going to win every game we play."

Norwich chief Nigel Worthington saluted his players for showing character after falling behind. he said: "That's the third straight game when we have scored late. The character in the side is good.

"At half-time we were lucky to be only a goal down. We simply didn't turn up for the first 45 minutes and our passing was abysmal. That said, we could have got three points in the end."

Norwich should have been dead and buried at the interval. But a combination of poor finishing and superb goalkeeping kept the visitors, who had 15-year-old keeper Joe Lewis on the bench, alive.

The Latics stormed into the lead through Liddell, their longest- serving player. The midfielder marked his fifth anniversary at the club by lashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net from close range after Jimmy Bullard's corner.

Then Tony Dinning was guilty of an amazing miss from eight-yards after a pin-point cross by Geoff Horsfield.

Moments later Horsfield was denied by a stunning full-stretch save by Robert Green after the former Birmingham striker had weaved his way into a scoring position.

Norwich had another narrow escape when former Carrow Road favourite Matt Jackson headed over from point-blank range before the visitors finally woke from their slumber to take control.

Roberts could have bagged a four minute hat-trick during his side's best spell. The former Wales international, however, was not to be denied and had the final say when he slotted home from close range after a great Huckerby run.

MAN OF THE MATCH JIMMY BULLARD

Action-packed display which deserved a goal.

WIGAN: Filan 7, Eaden 7, Jackson 7, Breckin 7, McMillan 7, Liddell 7, BULLARD 8, Dinning 7, Kennedy 7, Ellington 7, Horsfield 7.

NORWICH: Green 7, Edworthy 6, Mackay 6, Fleming 6, Drury 5, Mulryne 5, Francis (Easton 5), Holt 5, McVeigh 6, Huckerby 6, Roberts 6.

MANAGERS: Jewell 7; Worthington 6.

REFEREE: R Pearson 7.

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