Wigan Athletic chief sees red over Callum Wright dismissal at Barnsley - 'far too many times'

Latics led at the break at Oakwell thanks to Joe Taylor's goal just before the half-hour, and the only criticism at the interval was that they didn't add further goals to reflect their dominance.

Wright hit a post while Taylor forced two good saves from home goalkeeper Owen Goodman as Barnsley struggled to get into the game.

Latics had to defend well in the second period as Barnsley improved, but it looked as though they would hold on for a vital victory.

However, Wright was given a second yellow card with two minutes to go for a late tackle, to go with a previous offence in the first half for a pull.

And after Luca Connell and Corey O'Keeffe hit the woodwork for Barnsley, substitute Charlie Lennon poked home from close range in the sixth of nine added minutes to ensure honours ended even.

"I thought with 11 men we were going to win the game," said Caldwell. "I thought we were the better team, in the first half in particular, I thought we were excellent.

"And the big frustration is that we couldn't score more goals in that period. We can take a lot from the game in terms of performance, we take a point in terms of the result, and we move on to Saturday.

"As I always say, when you draw a game, if you can win the next game, it becomes an even better point."

The Latics head coach was then asked for his thoughts about Wright's dismissal.

"Look, it's happened to us far too many times this season, referees making decisions that go against us," he said. "I have to say it, but we can't control that, and something needs to change.

"They say that over the course of a season, it'll go for you at some point. Well I'm expecting a lot of luck over the last nine games and a lot of good decisions.

"If both of Callum's bookings are yellow cards, the referee should have given loads of them in the game.

"For me, again we're talking about consistency, and they have to get better, they have to try and learn. But they don't want to talk, they book people in the technical area whenever they get any kind of criticism.

"We get criticism when results go against us, and when referees make decisions like that it makes the game harder. For me, I just want them to be better, and I just want decisions to be better.

"Because if both of those are yellow cards, there should have been 20 or 30 yellow cards handed out.

"He's now suspended for the next game, so that's double jeopardy, we get hit twice over a decision we can't control.

"All I can is focus on the things we can control, and for large parts of the game, I thought we were very good."

The first two chances of the game fell to Latics, with Wright's deflected shot and Taylor's drilled effort both well saved by Owen Goodman.

At the other end, David McGoldrick latched on to a long goal kick and, with Jensen Weir tugging at him, the veteran striker ploughed on only to but finish tamely into the hands of Tickle.

Latics were playing well, though, and they took the lead on 29 minutes with a goal of effortless simplicity.

It started with Tickle, who gathered the ball and booted it forward, deep into the Barnsley half.

Taylor latched on to it, and lobbed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper from 20 yards.

A blistering strike from Wright almost broke the post in half as Latics flew at the opponents, with Taylor then forcing another good save from Goodman.

The only downside at half-time was that the game wasn't already in the bag, and Barnsley came back into it after the break.

A stinging strike from Adam Phillips was repelled by a fine save by Tickle, before Latics a shot themselves in the foot with two minutes to go.

Wright lunged in and made a late contact with an opponent for a second yellow card, and the Tykes were further lifted with nine added minutes being signalled by the fourth official.

A brilliant free-kick by Connell, bound for the top corner, was tipped on to the bar and over for a corner by Tickle.

O'Keeffe then cut in and drilled a shot against the outside of the post with Latics desperately hanging on at this point.

And the equaliser eventually arrived in the sixth of nine added minutes, when McGoldrick's long-range shot was superbly parried out by Tickle, only for substitute Lennon to steer the rebound home.