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Wigan Athletic 2-0 Walsall | 4 things you might have missed

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Image for Wigan Athletic 2-0 Walsall | 4 things you might have missed

1) 500 up for stalwart Chambers

A model of consistency in an otherwise inconsistent Walsall team, Chambers continues to defy logic by continuing to produce top quality performances despite his age. Today was his 500th career performance, and in the 1st half the ‘skipper pretty much carried the other ten with him. A genuine Walsall legend? I think so.

2) Grigg back on form

Former Saddlers striker Will Grigg went a whole calendar year without a goal for the Latics, but his brace today means that he now has 3 in his last 4 starts and is back at his natural level in League One. The Northern Irish frontman didn’t have to work too hard for his goals, as he lashed in a loose ball in the box for his opener then converted a penalty to grab his second. For the good of Grigg’s goal to game ratio though it’s probably best if he finds a way to stay in this division next season…

3) Paying the penalty

Walsall conceded a sixth penalty of the season at Wigan, with James Wilson the man this time to fall foul of the referee’s whistle. Conceding a spot kick after 3 minutes of the new season probably wasn’t a good omen and since then it’s just gone from bad to worse. Luke Leahy has been the worst offender with 3 conceded in just 11 League games. If we keep up the current trend, we’re on course to give away 20+ penalties over the course of the season. Is this just a statistical quirk, or a worrying trend? Well, the style employed by Whitney inevitably means that the opposition will be in our box more often than not so the probability of needing to make that last-ditch tackle is increased.

4) ‘Building from a solid base’

Remember when we were told at the fans forum that Whitney’s philosophy was based on ‘building from a solid base’? Well those foundations have seen zero clean sheets in all competitions this season, and going even further back we’re without a shut-out since the 1-0 win against Swindon Town on Easter Monday. Like the elusive away win that we found last week, one will arrive eventually but with Whitney seemingly struggling to organise his defence, it’s not exactly a great time to face table-topping Shrewsbury Town next weekend.

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