Rovers suffer defeat at the hands of a determined Wigan Athletic side who are fighting relegation.
Andy Butler made three changes to the side that lost to Bristol Rovers on Easter Monday with Joe Wright and Josh Sims returning from injury and coming into the team alongside Scott Robertson. It meant that there was no place in the starting XI for James Coppinger (injured), Taylor Richards and Fejiri Okenabirhie.
The game got off to the worst possible start for Butler’s men as they went behind within the opening three minutes when the visitors lashed a ball into the box which Joe Dodoo latched onto, turned and blasted past Ellery Balcombe.
Shortly after this, Wigan doubled their lead through Thelo Aasgaard after Rovers failed to clear the danger away from a corner.
The Latics continued to have most of the chances with Will Keane forcing Balcombe into a great save down to his bottom right corner.
Wigan made it three on the 34th minute as they cut Rovers’ back line apart with ease before an unmarked Viv Solomon-Otabor could tap in at the far post.
Going 3-0 down so early forced Butler into an early double change with Branden Horton and Scott Robertson being replaced by John Bostock and Taylor Richards.
Richards gave Rovers a lift by getting a goal back for his side in the dying moments of the first-half which gave a little bit of hope for Butler’s side heading into the break.
Danny Amos replaced Reece James at the interval in a like-for-like swap.
Richards’ goal accompanied by a half-time talking to seemed to have given Rovers more fight to try and get something out of the game with them attacking with more intent and pace in the early stages of the second-half.
On the 55th minute a sublime ball threaded through by Richards unlocked a run from Jason Lokilo who faced Jamie Jones one-on-one, but unfortunately the winger was not able to beat the Latics captain.
Sims beat his man down the left-hand side and decided to go alone on goal, but his shot was straight at Jones in Wigan’s goal.
Over the course of the second-half, Butler introduced Madger Gomes and Fejiri Okenabirhie to the game, withdrawing Matt Smith and Josh Sims.
Despite improvements from Rovers in the second period, when Wigan attacked they still showed how big of threat they can be with Joe Wright and Tom Anderson both called into action on occasions to block chances.
Then with 10 minutes to go Wigan wrapped up the game when they hit Rovers on the break and Keane was able to tap past Balcombe.