By Sports Reporter
Warriors Tendayi Darikwa’s struggling League One side Wigan Athletic were in inspired form yesterday after they clobbered 4 – 1 Doncaster Rovers away from home to boost their chances of survival as the season draws to a close.
Wigan Athletic are now only a single point adrift of League One safety after the crushing victory at mid-table Doncaster Rovers.
Darikwa joined Wigan from championship side Nottingham Forest on a short term deal in January and the 29-year-old has been a vital cog in the defence for the team.
The Zimbabwean international has featured in all of Wigan’s 20 matches and has not been substituted to show how highly he is rated at the club.
Prior to yesterday’s match, Wigan had gone for five games without a victory recording three defeats and two draws since they beat Plymouth on March 9.
The poor run of form had seen the team slump to 23rd on the 24-team standings going into the weekend matches.
Leam Richardson’s men were two goals to the good inside 15 minutes, with Joe Dodoo smashing into the top corner from the edge of the box and Thelo Aasgaard slotting home from a right-wing corner.
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The visitors thought they were in again when Rovers goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe appeared to have carried the ball outside his area, only for the referee to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Balcombe made use of his let-off when he produced a breathtaking left-handed save to deny Will Keane a third, but the respite was only temporary.
Again Keane was involved, and this time he fed Viv Solomon-Otabor, who slotted home on 33 minutes.
Wigan’s superiority was such that Doncaster were forced into making a double save with eight minutes of the first half still remaining.
And the home side grabbed themselves a lifeline seconds before the final whistle, when Taylor Richards fired into the top corner of Jamie Jones’ net.
Latics were indebted to their goalkeeper for making a couple of vital saves at the beginning of the second half, which could have turned the game on its head.
And Latics gradually regained control of the game, with Aasgaard seeing a goalbound shot blocked before the visitors rounded off the scoring.
Dan Gardner – on for Solomon-Otabor – fed Dodoo who set up Keane, who got the last touch to register his first goal in 15 matches.
Wigan’s survival will boost Darikwa’s chances of penning a long-term deal to stay at the club although a number of championship sides are eyeing the player. Darikwa and his team have six matches to ensure survival.
— Wigan Today
