Wigan manager Gary Caldwell says he will be having a ‘long, hard look’ before he picks his team to play in Tuesday night’s Johnstone’s Paint Northern Area quarter-final against Blackpool.
Latics suffered their first defeat in 10 matches in all competitions as they were thumped 4-0 at Bury in the FA Cup first round.
Wigan won the competition in 2013 but went out with a whimper this time as the Shakers romped into a 3-0 lead by half-time through goals by Tom Pope, Danny Mayor and Nathan Cameron.
A fourth goal was added in the second-half as the home side did the cup double over Wigan this season after also beating them in the Carling Cup.
“It’s probably the lowest I’ve been since I got the job,” said a clearly upset Caldwell. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it’s one we have to take on the chin.
“The first goal came from a mistake and then we crumbled after that, and that’s something we’ve not done this season.
“You can’t give teams a three-goal start and expect to come back. As a team, you have to rally round and do something about it but we just didn’t play after that first goal.”
The result was certainly a surprise after Wigan’s recent good from and with a strong team selected for the game, many expected a much more competitive game.
“It’s a massive disappointment but we have to regroup and move on,” Caldwell said.
“I’m a little bit embarrassed, to be honest. It’s obviously my responsibility to pick the team, I prepare the team, and I shoulder more responsibility than anyone.
“I wish I’d been able to bring on 11 subs at half-time to be honest – and then another three in the second half.”
Blackpool visit the DW on Tuesday night and the short time between the two matches gives Wigan a good opportunity to put the previous result to bed but Caldwell says he is not sure of the team that he will pick.
“I’ll be having a long, hard look before Tuesday night about picking a team I believe will be good enough to beat Blackpool.
“And the people sent out there on the park have to take their opportunity better than the 14 who played at Bury.”
The Tangerines arrive for the 7:15 kick off with similar intentions after they also suffered FA Cup heartache at the weekend.
League Two newcomers Barnet provided another cup upset with a 2-0 home win and send Neil McDonald’s team back home empty handed.
Image courtesy of Wigan Athletic via YouTube, with thanks.
