Both Wigan Athletic and Norwich City went into today's Championship game at the DW Stadium out of form and in desperate need of a win.
It was playoff-chasing Norwich who would record just their second win in 11 games to inflict more misery on their former player Malky Mackay, who is still without a win in three games as Latics boss.
Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by-minute updates below.
Afternoon folks! Today's feature 3pm match in the Championship sees Wigan take on Norwich at the DW. Here comes the team news...
WIGAN XI: Carson; Taylor, McCann, Watson, Maloney, McClean, McManaman, Perch, Barnett, Figueroa, Fortune
Subs: Al Habsi, Huws, Boyce, Espinoza, Cowie, Forshaw, Delort
Subs: Al Habsi, Huws, Boyce, Espinoza, Cowie, Forshaw, Delort
NORWICH XI: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Cuellar, Olsson; Howson, O'Neil, Tettey, Johnson; Hooper, Jerome
Subs: Rudd, Turner, Lafferty, Hooiveld, Murphy, Redmond, McGrandles
Subs: Rudd, Turner, Lafferty, Hooiveld, Murphy, Redmond, McGrandles
PREDICTION: This is a really tough call and as you'll see in the Sports Mole Sofa video below, I went for a 2-2 draw.
Both sides are out on the field of play and we're just about ready to go. As mentioned above, both are desperate for a win after falling to 2-1 defeats last time out.
KICKOFF! We're underway at the DW Stadium on this chilly, wintry Saturday.
A slow start to this match, which is understandable given how out of form these two sides are.
GOAL! WIGAN 0-1 NORWICH (HOWSON)
Well, it had been a fairly tepid start! Norwich take the lead as Hooper does well to find Howson and the midfielder drills across goal into the corner.
UPDATE: More good news for Norwich as their arch rivals Ipswich fall behind at home to Leeds with what was the first Championship goal of the day.
CHANCE! Norwich should be two up. It's sloppy from Figueroa as he allows Jerome to steal the ball and bear down on goal. The latter just has Carson to beat but he shoots tamely straight at the Latics stopper.
Jonny Howson has now scored three goals in his last four appearances for the Canaries. #WAFC 0-1 #NCFC
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) December 6, 2014
Norwich continue to impress but this time it's a poor finish from O'Neil as he spoons it well over the top.
Jerome with a fabulous, inviting cross but there's no yellow shirt coming in at the back post.
Wigan with their first real foray forward as Cuellar unfortunately slips to allow Fortune in down the left. His dinked cross to the back post, like Jerome's, is a good one but no-one's there to challenge for it.
Here's a nice photo from before the game. They all look so chummy don't they? It's not like that any more.
#FootballRemembers - Wigan Athletic v Norwich City - December 6 2014 - Sky Bet Championship pic.twitter.com/5zHWJxostF
— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) December 6, 2014
Oooh, Wigan can count themselves a little lucky there as Taylor barges over Jerome in the box but the striker was offside.
Very little has happened in the last few minutes. Wigan are trying to get forward, but they're having absolutely no luck against the Norwich backline. Mackay won't be happy.
This is such a big game for Mackay against the club where he enjoyed plenty of good years as a player. Remember, Wigan are still to win under their new manager with a draw and a defeat so far.
Jerome, who has looked bright, receives treatment from the physio. It looks like he's taken a hit to the chops as he's holding his mouth in pain. Should be fine to carry on, though.
Half an hour in and Wigan are yet to have a shot on goal. They certainly look like a side second-from-bottom at the moment.
CHANCE! Wigan finally have a chance as Fortune does really well to bring the ball down and get off a shot. It's quite a tight angle for the striker and he can only fire at Ruddy in the Norwich goal.
CLOSE! Much better this last few minutes from Wigan and they go close again as McManaman cuts in from the left and powers a shot across goal that flies just past the post.
Great defending by McClean as he tracks Martin all the way into the box before sliding in and tackling the ball against the Norwich captain to win a goal kick.
Wigan have really settled down in the last few minutes. They're knocking it around much better but the latest attack comes to nothing as McClean's cross under pressure is scooped high and lands on the roof of the net.
McCann's shot is easily saved by Ruddy and that should be that for the opening 45.
HALF-TIME: WIGAN 0-1 NORWICH
Wigan's woes continue then as they trail Norwich, who have won just one game in 10, at the break.
It was a really poor start by the home side and Norwich made their early pressure pay with a neat finish from Howson.
Wigan's slow start continued until about the half-hour mark when they finally saw more of the ball in the final third. Still, they haven't really done enough to deserve a goal.
HT SCORES: Here are the 10 other scorelines after 45 minutes in the Championship: Blackburn 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool 0-0 Birmingham, Cardiff 0-0 Rotherham, Derby 3-0 Brighton, Huddersfield 1-0 Brentford, Ipswich 3-1 Leeds, Millwall 0-4 Middlesbrough, Forest 0-1 Charlton, Reading 0-0 Bolton, Wolves 1-0 Bournemouth
That all means that Norwich are climbing up to ninth as things stand in the live table. They'll be two points off the playoff places while Wigan are set to fall three points adrift of safety in 23rd.
The two sides are back out for the second half and it doesn't look like there's any half-time changes from either manager.
KICKOFF! Second half underway at the DW Stadium.
WIGAN SUB: Well, Mackay didn't wait long to make that change! Maloney comes off, with Don Cowie on in his place. The former had been struggling with illness a little, so maybe he's feeling a bit under the weather. Odd to not take him off at half time if that's the case.
Hooper tees up Olsson for a shot but that's a good block from Barnett.
CHANCE! Wigan win a free kick in a good position to shoot but McClean inventively dinks it in to Perch, whose header at goal is well saved by Ruddy. Probably Wigan's best chance of the game, that.
Superb wing play from McManaman down the right as he gets to the byline and fires over a cross that Norwich do really well to clear inside their own six-yard box.
Wigan have done well to restrict Norwich so far in the second half, but they have to do more going forward. The Canaries look pretty solid at the back.
Norwich right-back Whittaker slips to allow McClean to collect Watson's pass across the pitch. McClean fires it in low and Martin hacks it out for a corner.
NORWICH SUB: First Norwich change of the day as Hooper comes off for exciting youngster Josh Murphy.
66 - 11,475 is the attendance at the DW Stadium, with 1009 Norwich City fans. #WAFC 0-1 #NCFC #OTBC
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) December 6, 2014
SHOT! Norwich fail to deal with a corner, allowing McManaman a shot at goal from outside the box that bobbles past the post.
NORWICH SUB: A change in attack for the visitors as Kyle Lafferty replaces Jerome.
If Wigan are to grab an equaliser, it will probably come from a set piece. They've had plenty of corners in the second half but haven't really created much from them.
Good down the right again from McManaman as he goes outside Olsson to work the space to cross. He dinks it deep and McCann is up to head it but can't get any power on it. Another comfortable save for Ruddy.
SCRAMBLE! How have Wigan not scored there?! Fortune went clear down the left and fired in towards goal. Ruddy spilt the ball into McClean but he couldn't bundle it home. The ball goes loose again and McManaman has a go but he too can't beat Ruddy.
"WERHAY!" jeer the Wigan fans as Lafferty slips just as he was about to take a free kick on the edge of the box. Think David Beckham's penalty in Turkey a few years back.
PENALTY? No says the referee after Lafferty had got the wrong side of Figueroa. He tried his hardest to stay on his feet but he couldn't and went down before getting a shot off on the floor. Somehow it's not given. Wigan have really got away with that one.
CLOSE! Moments after seeing his penalty appeal turned down, Lafferty is inches away from poking home a low cross. He just couldn't quite reach it.
WIGAN SUB: Mackay takes off striker Fortune for midfielder Espinoza. He does know his team are chasing the game, right?
Mackay still has frontman Andy Delort on the bench and he'll surely be coming on soon.
WIGAN SUB: Mackay brings Delort on for McCann, but has he left this too late?
Three minutes of added time signalled. Not long left of what has been a poor-quality game.
CHANCE! Last chance of the game as Figueroa crosses and Barnett meets the ball at the back post but he can only head straight at Ruddy.
FULL-TIME: WIGAN 0-1 NORWICH
Norwich end a run of four games without a win thanks to Jonny Howson's fifth-minute strike at the DW Stadium.
Wigan remain 23rd in the table and there's even worse news because Blackpool picked up their first win under Lee Clark with a 1-0 victory over his former club Birmingham. That means Wigan are now just five points off the bottom.
As for Norwich, they're up to eighth in the table and just a couple of points below the playoff places. A much-needed win for under-pressure boss Neil Adams.
Before we go, there's just time to direct you to our live scores hub where you can find all of today's results and the match reports too. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!
Written by
Pascal Lemesre
Pascal Lemesre
