Five things we learned from Shrewsbury (h)

1 Never say die! The team that always plays right to the end, once again played right to the end - and got their just rewards. No question, Latics weren't quite at the races for long periods against a plucky but limited Shrewsbury side. But they never stopped probing for a winning goal, all three substitutions were attacking, and Leam Richardson will feel his side earned their breakthrough at the end, secured by...

2 The Norwegian King! Or, given Thelo Aasgaard's tender years, Norwegian Prince at least. This time last year, Aasgaard was a slight, 18-year-old making his first tentative steps into the first-team environment, having been thrown in at the deep end due to administration. After a year of learning on the job - and a summer on the weights - he looks every inch a star. And not just one for the future - one for the now.

3 What a difference a year makes! Latics' win takes them up to 41 points from their 19 matches played - level with leaders Rotherham, with a game in hand. Incredibly, they are now only SEVEN points short of last year's final tally of 48 - with 27 matches still to go. Two wins and a draw from their next three matches would see them hit that by the halfway mark of the campaign. What a turnaround. What a club.

4 Bennett boost! Summer signing Joe Bennett finally made his league bow at the DW, after overcoming knee and calf injuries since his last appearance for Cardiff back in March. The left-back immediately showed his quality and, having played his whole career up to this point in the top two divisions, the 31-year-old will surely prove to be a big addition ahead of the festive period.

5 Yellow peril averted! The Shrewsbury game was the 19th in the league - which marks the cut-off for five bookings meaning an automatic one-match ban. Annoyingly, Max Power missed the game having picked up his fifth yellow at Plymouth in the previous game, but only Callum Lang also reached that mark. The next cut-off is 37 matches, which should mean those Latics players who had been walking a disciplinary tightrope can - theoretically - play with a little bit more freedom in the coming weeks.

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