Wigan Athletic 1-1 Bristol City: Robins get first point of the season
- Published
- comments
Bristol City registered their first Championship point of the season after a competitive draw at Wigan Athletic.
City made a fast start as Andreas Weimann got his fourth goal in as many games when he tapped in Tommy Conway's pass at the back post.
Will Keane levelled the score midway through the second half when he reacted quickest from close range after Tom Naylor's blocked shot caused a goalmouth scramble.
Conway and substitute Nakhi Wells had decent chances to win it for City, while Wigan's Callum Lang and James McClean had late efforts.
City remain second from bottom of the early Championship table, while Wigan moved up to 15th after their third draw from three games.
The early goal came after good work by Mark Sykes to set up Conway, and the pair caused Wigan all sorts of problems down the right.
City thought they should have had a penalty after 14 minutes when Conway - making his first league start of the season after scoring twice in the 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Hull City on Wednesday - went down under a challenge from Jason Kerr, but the referee was unmoved.
Wigan were lucky to keep Joe Bennett on the park after he appeared to kick out at Joe Williams after a challenge between the two, with the Wigan man being booked before he went on to set up a Max Power effort soon after, before Josh Magennis twice missed the target from crosses into the box.
Both sides could have scored shortly before half time - the impressive Sykes again put Conway through, but the young striker struck into the side netting, while Magennis poked an effort wide in stoppage time after being put through by James McClean.
Wigan had a 60th-minute penalty appeal for handball waved away after Jack Whatmough had headed a McClean corner back across goal, but only had to wait seven minutes to get an equaliser they probably deserved.
But they could have been behind again three minutes later when Sykes again caused problems down the right and his cross was headed just wide by Conway.
Lang forced a save from Dan Bentley in an exciting final 10 minutes which also saw Wells' late shot blocked after some good work by Weimann, before McClean blasted over having been set up by Nathan Broadhead.
Wigan Athletic manager Leam Richardson told BBC Radio Manchester:
"The pleasing thing was to come from behind to get a positive result and then to finish both halves with the impetus to try and win the game.
"We're still unbeaten, these lads are still learning, we're still trying to strengthen our squad, which we'll need - competition for places is huge within your football club, certainly at this level.
"It's up to us to work hard, be really diligent in what we're doing, as we have been, and create chances and make sure you put them away."
Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson told BBC Radio Bristol:
"It's OK. We've been in a winning position again, and we've been in winning positions in every game that we've played so far this season - so frustrating, but there was a determination to stick at it.
"We've probably conceded good possession too often, but I'm always confident that we will create opportunities - and just after they scored we had an incredibly good chance to take the lead again and it just didn't happen for us again.
"But it's a point, a point away from home in a tough league and they're a very workmanlike and a decent side, so fair play to them."