League One strugglers Shrewsbury came back from two goals down in the final quarter to steal a 2-2 draw at Wigan. Thelo Aasgaard and Dale Taylor put the Latics ahead, but the Shrews responded through Will Aimson's own goal and George Lloyd's late strike.
The home side came flying out of the blocks and were ahead inside nine minutes. Jonny Smith picked out Aasgaard with a deep corner, and Wigan's top scorer volleyed the ball down to the opposite bottom corner of the net. The quick start had Wigan hoping for more as they dominated early play.
Wigan were warned shortly after the break when Sam Tickle had to make an impressive save to keep out Jordan Shipley’s free-kick, foreshadowing the pressure the Shrews would face. Despite the warning, the Latics found the second goal their dominance warranted eight minutes after the restart. Matt Smith played Taylor through, and he drilled home with confidence, giving Wigan what seemed to be comfortable control.
Then, with Wigan seemingly ready to capitalize on their momentum, Shrewsbury was handed a lifeline when Aimson deflected the cross past his own keeper, Tickle, to make it 2-1. This own goal marked the beginning of Shrewsbury's phoenix-like rise. Suddenly, Wigan's grip on the game loosened, and the pressure shifted.
With only three minutes remaining, disaster struck for Wigan as keeper Sam Tickle made a totally uncharacteristic fumble at the near post, allowing George Lloyd to stab the ball home from close range, completing the comeback for the visitors. The Shrews stole a point, leaving Wigan dejected after their strong start. Match report supplied by PA Media.
Meanwhile, Charlton made light work of struggling Northampton, securing a decisive 5-0 victory at Sixfields. The Cobblers were ruthlessly punished for their woeful defending, with Greg Docherty netting twice as Charlton stormed to victory.
Charlton made their intentions clear from the outset, leading after just nine minutes when Northampton failed to clear their lines effectively. The ball dropped to Docherty, who struck low and hard, placing it perfectly within the far corner. Minutes later, Leaburn almost added to the tally but it didn't take long for Campbell to latch onto Leaburn's pass and finish clinically, doubling Charlton’s lead.
The match teetered on the brink of disaster for Northampton when Leaburn scored Charlton's third just before the break. Macaulay Gillesphey’s long ball found Leaburn all alone inside the box, and he calmly stroked the ball home, sinking Northampton’s hopes for any form of comeback.
Shouldering all the misery, the Cobblers couldn’t manage any threat and Charlton continued to assert their dominance, as Docherty lashed home his second from Luke Berry's cutback shortly afterwards. Saldy for Northampton, things went from bad to worse when substitute Danny Hylton came off the bench to pile on more misery, scoring the fifth goal deep in stoppage time.
The heavy defeat left Northampton floundering at the bottom of the table, raising questions about their defensive organization and potential for recovery as the season progresses. Match report supplied by PA Media.
