York City 0-1 Wigan Athletic: Stephen Humphrys goal in fog fires Latics into FA Cup third round

Wigan Athletic kept their heads to see off York City and deservedly reach the third round of the FA Cup.

Against a team ranked 53 places below them, Stephen Humphrys hit the only goal of the game for the League One side.

But they were taken all the way by Neal Ardley's National League hosts, who wasted their best chance in the dying minutes through Lenell John-Lewis.

The 2013 cup winners last lost to non-league opposition in 2020, to neighbours Chorley - but there was to be no repeat.

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York had twice come up against the Latics previously in the FA Cup - and had lost both, in the first round in 1977-78 and second round in 1997-98.

And, in a game increasingly dominated by the thickening fog rolling in across the Vale of York, this one went the same way as the Latics always looked the likelier to edge it.

Humphrys went close with a good turn, angled run and low first-half right-foot shot that brought a diving save low to his right from veteran keeper David Stockdale, who then bravely saved again from the Wigan top scorer.

York did have one late first-half penalty handball shout turned down and a menacing run down the left, which ultimately came to nothing from Thierry Latty-Fairweather.

It took until the 61st minute for the Latics to make the key breakthrough as former Brighton and Wycombe keeper Stockdale, hero of York's fortunate first-round replay win over sixth-tier Chester, was finally beaten.

Defender Tyler Cordner completely mistimed an attempted clearing header from on-loan Arsenal player Omar Rekik.

It left Humphrys in the clear - and the Wigan forward glided forward to coolly round keeper Stockdale and slide left-footed into the unguarded net for his ninth goal of the season.

There was no way back, especially when John-Lewis, two-goal matchwinner in the previous round, fluffed their best chance, heading wide in the last minute. And the hosts could find no more in the nine minutes of added time.

The freezing Yorkshire fog got worse throughout the 90 minutes

York City manager Neal Ardley told BBC Radio York:

"If we were going to win, we had to be mistake-free and we had to take our chances when they came, of which we knew there'd be three or four at best.

"It went the other way but the effort we put in and the execution of our game plan was really good.

"A team that's causing a lot of problems to other teams in League One struggled to break us down at times.

"The plan was always just to stay in the tie for 70 minutes and really it comes down just to one mistimed header."

Wigan Athletic manager Shaun Maloney told BBC Match of the Day Live:

"They probably got the better of the first 15 minutes or so, but once we started getting hold of the ball more, I felt we were in control.

"They were very hard to break down and, in the first half, we didn't make enough runs in behind, but when we did, we hurt them.

"I always felt that, at some point or other, Stephen Humphrys, Jordan Jones, who has been very good for us, or Martial Godo, who is some player, might get a one-on-one.

"We moved Humphrys from a wide position and you can see what a talent he is when he gets the ball in a central area."