Wigan Athletic boss pinpoints key factor in battering of Cod Army at the DW

Latics moved up to 14th spot in the League One table after goals from Jordan Jones (4), Sean Clare (31) and Tom Pearce (61) saw off the Cod Army.

Fleetwood were second best before Joshua Earl was shown a second yellow card in first-half stoppage-time, which made the second half little more than a training exercise.

"I thought the first half was very good, and the contest changed in the second half after the sending off," said the Wigan boss.

"We had some brilliant individual performances, which always helps.

"I know we have some really talented players - (Martial) Godo, (Stephen) Humphrys and (Jordan) Jones were brilliant - and when we got them into good positions their talent took over.

"But I still loved the fact they gave me just as much out of possession as in it.

"In the second half, the game became reasonably controlled, the game was very, very different."

It was a return to winning ways for Wigan after back-to-back battling league draws on the road.

"The thing about football is not every game can be perfect, in the way that this was," added Maloney.

"The two games previous to this one were very, very different - against Cheltenham and Leyton Orient.

"We were under massive pressure in the last 20 minutes at Cheltenham, and I was really happy to get out with a point.

"Orient was maybe similar, it was more of a 50-50 game, they could have won it, we could have won it, and that's the way it is.

"Some games when we play the way we did tonight, I really enjoy watching it.

"But in other games, you can also enjoy the fight equally as much.

"And you have to show both sides if you want to get anywhere in this league."

Latics were ahead inside four minutes, as Pearce played a lovely ball down the left wing for Jones, who cut in from the flank and fired the ball past Jay Lynch.

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 denied Ryan Broom.

There was a flashpoint when Callum Lang was taken down in full flow, 35 yards from goal.

The distance from the goal was perhaps a factor in ‘last man’ 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.

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

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

But any chance they had surely disappeared when Earl was handed a second yellow.

Latics were claiming a penalty on the hour mark when Godo was felled right on the edge of the box.

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