Wigan boss Paul Cook thrilled with table-toppers after handsome win
Posted Saturday, March 31, 2018 by PA
Paul Cook admitted it felt great to see Wigan back on top of Sky Bet League One after beating Oldham 3-0 at the DW Stadium.
Wigan hardly had to get out of second gear to see off their visitors thanks to goals from Will Grigg, James Vaughan and Nick Powell.
And less than 24 hours after slipping down to third in the table thanks to Blackburn’s win over Bradford, Cook was delighted to see his side leapfrog Rovers and Shrewsbury to reach the summit.
“We’re delighted to get back on top of the table,” the Wigan boss said.
“When we played Blackburn away the other week, we were four games behind them.
“There’s always a kudos about being top of the league – without a shadow of a doubt.
“We know we’ve still done nothing in real terms. But it’s still nice to look at the table and see yourselves up there.”
Wigan edged in front through Grigg’s 19th goal of the season which arrived after 40 minutes.
Grigg was replaced at the interval by Vaughan, who notched the second goal within four minutes of his introduction after a defensive lapse.
Powell added the icing to the cake with a glorious third goal 24 minutes from time.
“We took control of the game in the second half, and when you’ve got the quality we have in the squad you’d expect moments during the 90 minutes when we produce something,” added Cook.
“And that can be the difference between winning games and losing games at this level.
“To be fair, the depth of our squad is very strong, and the team ethic at the minute is very healthy.”
For Oldham boss Richie Wellens, it was painful viewing and the result makes their task of staying in the third tier even tougher.
“For 40 minutes, it was a very even game,” Wellens said.
“They had chances, but I thought we started really well, and then for 10 minutes they were on top.
“I just wanted us to manage the game a little bit, break it up, slow it down, but then we finished the half really strongly.
“We had a good chance with (Craig) Davies who’s one-on-one, and (Eoin) Doyle had a couple of chances.
“But then they break away from our left-wing position to score the first goal right before half-time.
“It’s a killer blow, but it’s not a blow but you can’t come back from.
“The second goal absolutely kills the game off and drains a bit of life out of us, because it’s just obviously a shocking mistake.
“I thought then for 15 minutes we gave it a really good go.”
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