'Individual errors' killing Wigan Athletic, admits Leam Richardson

Latics had recovered from the worst possible start, when they fell two goals behind inside half an hour.

Goals from Jack Rudoni and Joe Pigott put the visitors well in charge, and the game could have been out of sight had Ethan Chislett not hit the crossbar.

Curtis Tilt gave Latics hope when he headed home Dan Gardner's corner in first-half stoppage-time.

And Wigan tails were well and truly up midway through the second period when new signing Jamie Proctor marked his debut with a brilliant finish to make it 2-2.

But it was the visitors - without a win in their previous 11 league matches - who went on to win it, when Jamie Jones raced off his line only to trip the onrushing Chislett.

Pigott made no mistake from the spot - and Latics again came away from a big game with nothing.

"The over-riding factor today is again disappointment," acknowledged Richardson.

"I was disappointed with the way we started the game, and individual errors will cost you no matter what level of elite sport you're at.

"And they've certainly cost us today.

"We knew the challenge Wimbledon would pose, how honest they are as a team, what they would bring.

"Have we learned anything after the game? Not really. The information was good and we prepared well enough.

"And so it's extremely disappointing to be on the opposite end of the result again today.

"It's no secret, there's a few lads who are in there playing together for the first time.

"But with all due respect, there's enough experience in that dressing room now - myself included - to meet the criteria of what we need to achieve by the end of the year.

"And I still think we have enough in that dressing room to accept the challenge and see where that leads us.

"Okay, we've lost an important game of football here today.

"But before we know it, we'll be on the coach down to Northampton on Tuesday, with the same group of lads, trying to get a positive result."

Richardson admits when Proctor found the equaliser with more than 20 minutes remaining, he fully expected his side to power through and claim all three points - which would have lifted them to the safety mark in League One.

"I thought we finished the first half well, and we started the second half very brightly, very positive, on the front foot," he added.

"It was pleasing to see Jamie (Proctor) get the equaliser, and in my mind there was only one team who had the energy and the ascendancy to go on and win the game.

"Sadly, we went to sleep at the back, and more individual errors have ended up costing us the game.

"But before it gets to Jamie (Jones), there's a number of areas where the ball should have been dealt with.

"Goalkeepers will always come under the spotlight because they're the last line of defence - they can make one or two mistakes over a year, but that's football.

"Jamie's an experienced goalkeeper, and he'll be fine."

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