Wigan Athletic suffered defeat on the opening day of the Sky Bet League One season, losing 3-2 away to Cambridge United. The Latics conceded three goals by half-time and early in the second half before mounting a late comeback that fell short.
Sonny Perkins and Akeel Higgins both scored for Wigan in the latter stages of the match, but Cambridge held on to secure all three points.
Power's Frustration With Defensive Errors
Captain Max Power expressed frustration at how the goals were conceded rather than the result itself. Speaking to Latics TV after the match, Power said: "I thought we beat ourselves today. They were sloppy goals out there – you can sometimes swallow your pride if it's good play or someone puts it in the top corner, but the goals were all self-inflicted."
Wigan went in two goals behind at the interval. Despite addressing the performance at half-time, manager Gary Caldwell's side conceded a third goal shortly after the restart.
"We said all the right things at half-time about starting the second half well, but then we don't defend the box, and we find ourselves three-nil down, which is really frustrating because at two-nil, I thought there were signs that we could get things right and get back in the game," Power added.
The Fight Back and Future Focus
Power acknowledged Wigan's response in the closing stages but stressed the need for improvement in defensive discipline. "The positive is that we did keep going. We came back into the game, but the overall feeling is just frustration," he said.
The captain also drew parallels to a previous match at Grimsby, noting that good football must be backed by defensive solidity. "I said things after the game that were similar to what I said at Grimsby. We played some really nice football there, but if we're not going to keep the ball out of the net, we're not going to win games."
Power stressed the importance of avoiding a pattern of playing attractive football without winning matches. "I don't want us to become that team where everyone says we're a nice side, but we don't win."
He highlighted the support shown by Wigan's travelling fans and praised the team's refusal to surrender. "The first league game is out of the way, and we're disappointed because we were backed by good numbers, but the only positive is we didn't throw in the towel – we kept going and tried to get back in the game."
