Wigan 0 Burnley 0

Jewell: Ran out of ideas in the first minute

"It was a poor game, they've obviously come for the draw so fair play to them, but we didn't have the craft to break them down, it's as simple as that." commented Jewell.

Fair play, Burnley did come for a draw but it was obvious from the outset that they lined up 3-5-2. As a result, instead of having Roberts and Ellington man for man with their centre halves, Frank Sinclair was always spare. This silenced the two strikers.

In midfield we had four against a Burnley five. The full-backs (Camera and Roche) marked our wide men of McCulloch and Teale, which left Bullard and Frandsen with three midfielders to face (Chaplow, Branch and Grant). This meant that we lost midfield. It also did not help with Teale staying inexplicably deep and Lee McCulloch wandering off around the pitch, staying anywhere but on the left flank.

However, playing with this many men deep, it meant that Burnley had to sacrifice their attack, and coming to Wigan, they didn't mind this.

Frandsen - Impressive in the middle

Just Moore and Blake to play against Jackson and Breckin, with Baines and Wright as the spare men in our team.

Despite Burnley having more men through the middle, we constantley tried to plough our way through them, instead of getting some natural width (Mahon) and the full back over-lapping, with crosses being fired into the box.

Or maybe match their formation. Get McCulloch tucked into the midfield, to match the midfield three, and maybe Graham up with Duke and Roberts to give them something to think about. Instead, Jewell did his usual trick and burried his head in the sand and hoped for the best.

We kept up with the driect, long ball style that served us well at Wolves, which Cotterill had worked out, and planned for. His Burnley team won the midfield, any 50/50 was won by the trio of hard working claret and blue midfielders.

Both team tactics meant that it was going to be an awful game, and sure enough, thats what became of a potentially cracking local derby.

The referee, Mr Armstrong did not help the game. He went home pleasing neither set of fans who came to see a cracker. He was far too whistle happy, not letting anything go, especially as the Burnley players crumpled under the slightest of physical pressure, it's a mans game remember boys.

McCulloch: Was anywhere but on the left side!

Go hard or go home.

The weather in the second half didn't help either, as neither side could keep the ball, and it seemed that both sides were just waiting for the full-time whistle, with Burnley being the happier.

After the game, Paul Jewell said:"When you are at home you have to create more chances, but I thought we did enough to win the game and I thought we were the better team, but we really didn't look like we were going to break them down."

It helps if you give the side a game plan that may work, and if that isn't working, don't be affraid to change it. But whatever you do, don't just stand at the side and watch teh game go by.

Wigan: John Filan, David Wright, Ian Breckin, Matt Jackson, Leighton Baines, Gary Teale (David Graham 67), Jimmy Bullard, Per Frandsen, Lee McCulloch, Jason Roberts, Nathan Ellington. Subs not used: Gary Walsh, Emerson Thome, Alan Mahon, Nicky Eaden.