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Barnsley 0-4 Wigan

By Michael EmonsBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments103

Ben Watson

Wigan Athletic began life in the Championship with an easy win as they beat 10-man Barnsley in Owen Coyle's first competitive game as Latics boss.

Midfielder Ben Watson, who grabbed the winner in their 1-0 FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May, opened the scoring with a low 25-yard effort.

Grant Holt diverted in Emmerson Boyce's shot for 2-0, before Barnsley's Dale Jennings was dismissed for a bad foul.

Close-range finishes from Leon Barnett and Shaun Maloney sealed Wigan's win.

It was a perfect start for Coyle, who took over in the summer after former manager Roberto Martinez left to join Premier League Everton.

Only excellent goalkeeping from Barnsley captain Luke Steele kept the score down and the Tykes failed to test Scott Carson, who was making his debut in the Wigan goal.

Fellow debutant Holt, a £2m summer signing from Norwich, opened his competitive account for the Latics in fortuitous fashion, deflecting in Boyce's effort after Watson had put the visitors ahead.

The match was over as a contest when substitute Jennings, who moved to Barnsley from Bayern Munich in the close-season, was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Maloney after only being on the pitch for five minutes.

Barnett, another new addition to Coyle's squad, steered in from a corner, before Maloney, who had been twice denied by Steele, got the goal he deserved with a two-yard tap-in late on.

Barnsley manager David Flitcroft:

"For me, there wasn't much in it in the first half. They scored in our best spell.

"After Dale got sent off I was hurting for the players because I don't think they deserved it.

"You give the referee an easy decision. I've got to see it again, I don't think it was really reckless.

"We've come up against an excellent team. We've lost three points but there's another 135 to go.

"It's a new season. A new start. Our challenge is the Championship and we deserve to be in it."

Wigan manager Owen Coyle:

"From start to finish it was a fantastic performance from a dynamic team against a Barnsley side who, towards the end of last season, showed real resilience in taking on all before them to stay in the Championship.

"But we stood toe-to-toe with them, showed real quality and to be honest could have scored more than four goals, so as manager I couldn't have asked for much more than what the players gave today.

"At half-time there was still much to do, and even when Grant Holt scored the second goal we couldn't drop our standards. The Championship can punish you very quickly but our quality shone through and on another day we could have scored six or seven goals."

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103 comments

  • Comment posted by TJH, at 18:04 3 Aug 2013

    Absolutely love the way Wigan play their football and stick to that philosophy - hope Coyle doesn't change that.

    FA Cup was a great reward and I really hope they get promoted back.

    The Premier League is a poorer place without Wigan Athletic.

  • Comment posted by U15781060, at 18:00 3 Aug 2013

    I really hope Wigan get promoted! YAY go Wigan! Come on you latics!

  • Comment posted by daveftm, at 17:33 3 Aug 2013

    @2 probably best you limit your sporting entertainment this year to trying to get the first comments on BBC sports articles. I fear Uncle Joe and Big Al's transfer policy won't be much fun for you. Oh, and you've appeared to miss the mark on getting the first comment too. Go and take it out on a horse or something ;-)

    good luck Wigan, hope to see you back in the premier soon.

  • Comment posted by Hello Neayl, at 14:04 4 Aug 2013

    As a Norwich fan, I'll now be looking out for Holt and Barnett and hope to see them continuing to be successful. Grant Holt was a Norwich legend for a reason and I hope he shows why at Wigan. Would love to see Grant and Wigan have a season, and as he missed out on a England call up, I hope he makes up for it with his chance in Europe. Good luck Wigan and thrash those tractor boys!

  • Comment posted by U15733695, at 08:40 4 Aug 2013

    Wigan Athletics average attendance last season was nearly 20,000 (19,359) the population of Wigan is 81,203 which means nearly a quarter of the population watched them last season, put your hands up if your team averages a quarter of your town/city population turning up every week so lets stop with the attendance stuff it's very, very yawnfull.

  • Comment posted by TheGreatJuan, at 23:30 3 Aug 2013

    i might get slated on her for saying this but i do believe the Lactics are too good for the Championship, really do hope they bounce straight back up with Owen Coyle at the helm, they play lovely football and a cracking chairman,

  • Comment posted by U14357769, at 17:41 3 Aug 2013

    Great result to start the season, and a boost to their confidence before the European games too

    Think they might be a handful for most Championship teams this year

  • Comment posted by Skybluestar, at 17:35 3 Aug 2013

    Grant holt is a striker who I'm backing to be in the top 3 goal scorers this season. Touted to win an England cap only 2 seasons ago. He's a top class striker who has scored goals in every division and arguably could still do a job in the prem.

    Wigan have done well replacing Kone with Holt and he is to wigan's hope of a quick top flight return.

  • Comment posted by who_dat, at 19:43 3 Aug 2013

    52.Real_Estate
    Two poxy football clubs playing at the peak of where they belong - the Championship
    ==

    Brilliant contribution, did you think of that all by yourself?
    Keep it up, you'll be in the running for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

  • Comment posted by bigli, at 18:35 3 Aug 2013

    My feelings as soon as Wigan went down was that if they can keep the main backbone of their squad together then they should probably walk the league and I don't see anything to change my view.
    I don't see their European games as a hindrance, quite the opposite in fact, it will give them money can't buy experience to take back to the Premiership with them next season, even if they lose every game

  • Comment posted by grahame, at 18:21 3 Aug 2013

    Good start for Wigan, but that's all it is, a start. I would love to see you back in the premiership, but fear the damage Europe could do. It almost relegated Newcastle, so hopefully Coyle will get his priorites right. Glad to see Whelan picked a manager who will carry on the good style of football associated with the club, added to that, he will want to prove Bolton were wrong to sack him

  • Comment posted by Thodson, at 18:08 3 Aug 2013

    @33 who's going to phone in and save QPR? Last season they represented everything that was wrong with football: overpaid prima donnas, owned by trigger happy billionaires who are totally out of touch with the fans, worst league ground catering I've ever Experienced: I genuinely overheard a disappointed vegetarian being told 'well, we've got mars bars'!

  • Comment posted by Coolica1, at 17:54 3 Aug 2013

    A brilliant and dominant performance by Wigan, only 1 game down but I can already see them challenging for the top spot, along with Forest and Watford.

  • Comment posted by U15652111, at 17:43 3 Aug 2013

    Great result today away from home, start of a long season, but well done latics. Top of the table, couldn't ask for a better start!

  • Comment posted by Rick, at 17:23 3 Aug 2013

    Clear that Wigan are a team to trouble the top, advise is have a cheeky bet whether it be promoted, winners or top goal scorer, can't see them losing players to big clubs, looking at a decent season, but time will tell

  • Comment posted by U15793929, at 13:57 4 Aug 2013

    Wigan are my favourites to go straight back up. However against Barnsley, who are most likely to down, this result was always on the cards.

  • Comment posted by skeckersley, at 12:02 4 Aug 2013

    Great result for Wigan - to win 4-0 away anywhere in the Championship takes some doing - one of the most competitive leagues in the world.

    I do worry for them though - Europa Cup commitments could overstretch their squad like it did Birmingham a couple of years ago and a couple of their better players could yet leave. Sustaining a Promotion challenge would be a fantastic achievement!

  • Comment posted by SarahNCFC9, at 09:08 4 Aug 2013

    Well done Holty and Leon. So pleased they did well yesterday.
    I hope wigan do well. They are a small friendly well run club like us and I hope they bounce straight back.
    Gonna miss Holtys goals for us. I'm even tempted to get a Wigan shirt with Holt 9 on the back lol.
    Great win. Have money on you coming back up.
    Good luck Lactics.

  • Comment posted by U15807810, at 22:15 3 Aug 2013

    glad to see two of our former guys score, holt will fire you back to the premiership, where hopefully we can reunite with him. good luck wigan

  • Comment posted by U15733695, at 21:54 3 Aug 2013

    Reason Coyle as been bringing players in is to strengthen the squad because of the Europa League and more games to play in the Championship, plus we have to defend OUR FA Cup, although I doubt he'll play our best team in every game.

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