Under-strength Watford will draw plenty of confidence from this hard-earned point for their clash against the Reds on Tuesday
at Vicarage Road, where they have a 1-0 deficit to make up, manager Ray
Lewington left Neil Ardley, Neil Cox, Paul Devlin and 16-goal striker Heidar
Helguson out of his squad completely.
Brynjar Gunnarsson, Hameur Bouazza and Gavin Mahon all started on the bench.
However, he put Chris Eagles, who joined on a three-month loan deal from
Manchester United on Friday, straight into the side on the right flank.
Despite having so many absentees, the visitors started brightly and midfielder
Johnnie Jackson had an early free-kick deflected wide, while at the other end
McCulloch volleyed straight at Paul Jones.
In the 13th minute, the visitors took the lead with a fine move that cut Wigan
to pieces.
Jackson slid a diagonal ball to Dyer, who got in behind Latics left-back
Leighton Baines and exchanged passes with Eagles before prodding the ball into
the empty net for his seventh of the campaign.
After going behind, the Latics dominated possession without ever finding any
real spark.
They got back on level terms in the 25th minute, with McCullough scoring after
Nicky Eaden's cross but the home side's joy was to be short lived.
Under two minutes later, Dyer rose highest to a Watford clearance and his
flick put Webber clean through on goal. The former Manchester United man held
his nerve to clip the ball past the helpless John Filan.
Watford continued to threaten on the break and Dyer almost created another
goal for Webber and were good value for their lead at the interval.
Nathan Ellington and Jason Roberts were more of an influence at the start of
the second period but the Hornets were rightly aggrieved not to have been
awarded a penalty when Emerson Thome appeared to trip Dyer in the area.
That incident took
point at promotion-chasing Wigan as they prepare to face Liverpool in the
Carling Cup next week.
Lee McCulloch equalised twice for the stuttering Latics after Bruce Dyer and
Danny Webber had each given the visitors the lead.
The Hornets were good value for their advantage but once McCulloch levelled
for a second time in the 52nd minute, they aso showed encouraging stubbornness
to hold on for a point.
Wigan never found the rhythm that has fired them to their lofty Coca-Cola
Championship position and, for all their possession, they never looked like
scoring the decisive goal.
A glance at the Watford team sheet makes this result against Paul Jewell's
high-flyers even more impressive.
With one eye on the Hornets' semi-final second leg on even more significance when McCulloch headed the hosts
level six minutes after half-time.
He started the move when he robbed Dominic Blizzard in midfield before the
ball was worked to the right flank where Gary Teale crossed for the left-winger
to head home at the near post.
Mahon had replaced Mike Flynn just after half-time and, along with Jimmy
Bullard, began to dominate the centre of the field as Wigan piled forward
looking for a further breakthrough.
Bullard, McCulloch and Mahon were all frustrated to see long-range efforts fly
wide as the Hornets comfortably held on to end a run of six straight away
defeats.
Teams
Wigan Filan, Eaden, Thome, Jackson, Baines, Teale, Bullard,
Flynn (Mahon 50), McCulloch, Roberts, Ellington.
Subs Not Used: Walsh, Breckin, Graham, Whalley.
Goals: McCulloch 25, 52.
Watford Jones, Chambers, Doyley, Demerit, Mayo,
Eagles (Bouazza 58), Jackson (Mahon 76), Webber,
Blizzard (Gunnarsson 71), Young, Dyer.
Subs Not Used: Chamberlain, Smith.
Booked: Jackson, Gunnarsson.
Goals: Dyer 13, Webber 27.
Att: 9,008
Ref: A Kaye (W Yorkshire).
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