REPORT: Wigan Athletic v Fleetwood: Three-and-easy for Latics as Maloney's men continue impressive run

Latics were off to a flyer, and ahead inside four minutes.

Tom Pearce played a lovely ball down the left wing for Jordan Jones, who cut in from the flank and fired the ball past Jay Lynch for the opener.

And a driving run from Stephen Humphrys opened up the visiting defence again, before his fierce shot was deflected behind for a corner.

Fleetwood then gained a foothold in the game, and went close on a couple of occasions themselves.

A deep free-kick was headed on and flashed just past Sam Tickle's far post, before the Wigan goalkeeper had to act smartly to deal with a shot from Ryan Broom.

There was a flashpoint when Wigan's Callum Lang was taken down in full flow with only grass in front of him, 35 yards from goal.

The distance from the goal was perhaps a factor in Ben Heneghan receiving only a yellow card, when the home fans were baying for a red.

It mattered not, though, as Wigan went in front on the half-hour mark.

Humphrys worked a short corner for himself, and his cross was bundled in by Sean Clare, via the body of goalkeeper Lynch.

The impressive Jones then saw a shot blocked and saved by Lynch - after great work from Martial Godo and Lang - as Fleetwood desperately tried to hang on.

But any chance they had surely disappeared in first-half stoppage-time, when Joshua Earl was handed a second yellow for simulation in the box, reducing the Cod Army to 10 men.

The second half was always going to be damage limitation, and Latics were claiming a penalty on the hour mark when Godo was taken down right on the edge of the box.

Pearce didn't care, placing the ball down before curling it into the roof of the net.

The rest of the game was merely a procession for Latics, who would be just a point off the play-offs without their eight-point deduction.