Football League round up: Wigan hit top spot
Regional football round-up including Wigan, Rochdale, Bury and Bolton
By Matthew Pintus
It was the tale of late goals as our region’s Football League sides battled it out for victory this weekend. League One title favourites, Wigan Athletic, were the main highlight as they stormed to a 5-1 victory away at Shrewsbury. The Lancashire club leapfrogged division leaders, Burton Albion, in the process.
Wigan had to come from behind during the tie as Sullay Kaikai fired the Shrews ahead in the 28th minute. Conor McAleny replied soon after, firing home a fine volley from outside the area.
Wigan took the lead in the 57th minute through Yanic Wildschut and a Jason Pearce header minutes later put daylight between the two sides.
In the 66th minute, Shrewsbury defender Zak Whitbread was sent off for foul on Will Grigg who then converted the resulting penalty. The striker, who now has 22 goals this season, added this second, and his team’s fifth, late on.
Meanwhile, Bury were unlucky not to beat former-leaders Burton as a last minute equalizer from Tyler Walker denied them all three points.
Burton were reduced to ten men in the 71st minute as Hamza Choudhury picked up two bookings. Bury capitalised on the man advantage and veteran striker, Ryan Lowe, opened the scoring minutes later.
However, in extra-time, substitute Walker back heeled in a dramatic equaliser for the home side.
Play-off outsiders, Rochdale, furthered the woes of relegation threatened Doncaster Rovers as last minute equaliser gave them a 2-2 draw.
They opened the scoring with a Callum Camps volley in the 43rd minute, before Rovers hit back with a quick fire second-half double from Mitchell Lund and Andy Butler.
The visitors then had Craig Alcock sent off for a second caution in the 91st minute and on-loan Niall Canavan levelled in the sixth minute of injury time.
Strugglers Oldham Athletic weren't in action this weekend but play on Tuesday night at home to Swindon Town.
In the Championship, relegation doomed Bolton Wanderers lost their third game on the bounce as they went down 1-0 at home to Reading.
Bolton had to play the majority of the game with 10 men after Rob Holding was sent off for a last-man foul on Matej Vydra in the 20th minute.
The Reading forward missed the resulting penalty and with the final whistle imminent, it looked as though the league’s basement boys would hang on for an unlikely point.
However, with virtually the last kick of the game, Reading substitute, Ola John, unleashed an unstoppable effort from almost 35-yards to steal all three points.