Wigan Athletic face anxious wait over Powell

Wigan Athletic will learn in the next day or so whether the 4-1 victory at Rochdale - which took them to the top of League One - came at the expense of losing Nick Powell for the promotion run-in.
Nick Powell before his withdrawal at RochdaleNick Powell before his withdrawal at Rochdale
Nick Powell before his withdrawal at Rochdale

Powell limped off seconds before the half-time whistle with a thigh problem, which will now be scanned by anxious club medics.

“Nick felt his quad a little bit, when he went on a run through the middle,” revealed first-team coach Anthony Barry.

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“Obviously it’ll take a bit of time to assess...24 to 48 hours is usually the time-scale.

“To be fair, he didn’t feel too bad in the dressing room.

“But when you’ve got lads on the bench with the quality we have, there’s no point taking any risks.”

Latics were already a goal to the good when Powell exited stage left, thanks to Dan Burn’s 17th-minute header.

And the visitors overcame the loss of Powell to scored three more goals within 17 minutes of the restart from substitute James Vaughan, Michael Jacobs and Will Grigg.

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Dale pulled one back in the dying moments when Steven Davies potted a late penalty, but it was scant consolation.

“The lads have done very well, because this is a tough place to come,” acknowledged Barry.

“I thought they pushed us all the way in the first half.

“But then in the second half our moments of quality came through - like we did in the wins at Walsall and Bury.

“I think we’ve got a lovely balance in the team at the minute.

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“Defensively we’re structured and everyone knows what they’re doing.

“Offensively, when you’re able to bring players like James (Vaughan) off the bench, shows the number of quality options we have.”

Barry also hailed winger Gavin Massey for another fine performance down the flank.

“Gavin’s been outstanding for us throughout the season,” enthused Barry.

“He maybe doesn’t get the headlines that some of the other players get.

“But his work-rate and his presence on the pitch is a massive part of what we’re doing.”