Gary Caldwell bemoans Wigan Athletic's inability to take 'huge chances' during Barnsley setback

Latics led 1-0 at the break through Dara Costelloe, but they should have been out of sight such was their superiority.

Costelloe (twice), Chris Sze (twice) and Fraser Murray (twice) were among the players who couldn’t take advantage of great chances to net further goals, with Murray also hitting a post when clean through.

And Latics paid a huge price as Cameron McGeehan equalised with nine minutes remaining.

After K’Marni Miller was denied what looked to be a winning goal in stoppage-time chalked off for offside, Jon Mellish was the only misser in the penalty shoot-out, as Latics bowed out 6-5.

Caldwell, though, insisted there were plenty of positives to be taken into the League One opener at Cambridge United next weekend.

"I thought we were brilliant...very, very good...in terms of understanding how to play the game, especially in the first half,” he said.

"They are a very 'front foot', aggressive team, who like to apply pressure, but I don't think they had any entries into our half before the break.

"And the chances we created...they just kept coming, it was one after the other...and not half chances, they were huge chances.

"We also hit the post, the goalkeeper made some good saves, and it's credit to the players that they managed to carry that out so early in the season.

"We totally dominated a good team, away from home, and you just have to put a game like that to bed and not give them any hope.

"They got better in the second half, while we dipped a bit towards the end, and that shows the need to strengthen the squad, and make that competition for places even better.

"But on the whole, I'm delighted with the group, what they've given me, and we thoroughly deserved to win the game.

"If we can take this performance into the league season, being that aggressive and that hard to play against, then I'm sure we'll win a lot of games."

Caldwell was also understandably frustrated at seeing Miller’s last-gasp goal disallowed, which prevented Latics from winning the game in 90 minutes.

"We did win it...we scored a winning goal, which is clearly onside,” he added. "We were ready to play a game today, but I don’t think the officials were.

"All we want them to do is get big decisions right, and we’ll all be happier.”

Latics had come flying out of the traps and could have been out of sight by half-time.

Sze – not for the first time – got in behind, and his perfect cutback was on a plate for Costelloe, who produced an airshot from five yards.

Good work again from Sze led to the ball falling to Fraser Murray, whose low shot was well saved by Rogan Ravenhill.

Murray then found himself clean through on goal, with loads of time and acres of space, only to sidefoot the ball wide of the goalkeeper - but against the near post.

At the other end, Joe Walsh's first involvement was a brilliant save to tip round a shot from Reyes Cleary, only for the referee to inexplicably award a goal kick.

Normal service was resumed when Sze got in again, with the young forward taking a touch before firing straight at Ravenhill.

A lightning fast break from Latics led to Sze trying his luck from 25 yards, with the ball being helped behind by the home goalkeeper.

Eventually, the goal that had been coming since kick-off duly arrived five minutes before the break, with a deep cross from the left being headed back by James Carragher for Costelloe to convert from close range.

Latics picked up where they'd left off after the break, and Murray became the latest player to find himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, only to be denied by the home custodian.

Barnsley had a couple of sights at goal, before they did level the scores with nine minutes remaining when Cleary’s cross from the left was slotted home by McGeehan.

After Miller was denied a winning goal in added time, both teams were perfect in their initial five spot-kicks.

But Mellish couldn’t follow in the footsteps of Max Power, Carragher, Akeel Higgins, Jensen Weir and Murray in finding the net, and the home side maintained their 100 per cent record to go through.