Harbinger Of Glory

The day for the Brentford game had slowly encroached on Wigan, and from the opening whistle, it had looked like another good day for the home side.

Brentford had come prepared for them, though, and it showed.

They pressed whenever Wigan tried to build from the back, dropped quickly whenever the hosts found space, and refused to give them the freedom they had enjoyed against Crystal Palace.

Wigan still controlled much of the game.

They moved the ball well, found openings, and created enough chances to have been comfortably ahead.

Three times they put the ball in the net, but only one of them survived the officials’ scrutiny.

The first was ruled out for offside and the second was chalked off after a foul in the build-up.

And the third, which had finally counted, was as a result of a cross from Carlo that had found Jack Whatmough inside the penalty area, with the defender rising above the Brentford players around him to head Wigan into the lead.

When the ball hit the back of the net, the DW erupted, with the game looking like it was going to follow a similar trend as it had done across all 13 previous matchdays, but what unfolded was the exact opposite.

Brentford refused to let the game settle and instantly began working hard to scratch off the advantage that the home side held.

It was gritty work, but they were tenacious.

They tried and tried until Neal Maupay eventually found space and finished past Ben Amos, restoring parity and turning what had looked like another Wigan victory into something far less certain.

The half ended with both sides drawing blood and heading into the break level, but after the return, the second half only made matters worse for the home side.

Wigan had come out sharper after the interval, but their control began slipping when Amos took a loose touch under pressure in the fifty-ninth minute.

Brentford had crept up to the Wigan box, and in his desperate attempt to clear, Ben Amos sent the ball straight into space and a Brentford player pounced.

It looked for a second like Wigan might concede, but then O’Shea came across and threw himself into a last-ditch challenge, stopping the immediate threat but catching the Brentford player in the process.

So when the referee reached into his pocket after the whistle, what came out, to the sheer dismay of the home side, was Wigan’s first red card of the season, and the reaction from the DW was immediate.

O’Shea protested as, together with his teammates, they surrounded the referee, citing that it hadn’t been a last-man challenge.

Even Dawson came down the touchline to demand an explanation, but nothing changed.

The referee still pointed towards the tunnel, calling for O’Shea to exit the pitch and suddenly, Wigan were down to ten men.

From there, the game became less about winning and more about surviving.

Brentford pushed higher, and Wigan dropped deeper.

Their players were covering greater distances with fewer bodies, while Brentford kept moving the ball until another opening appeared.

Leo, still on the bench, watched it all unfold.

Dawson had chosen not to use him.

Just as he had against Crystal Palace, the manager had wanted to give his eighteen-year-old forward a rest.

Only this time, the circumstances were different, and with each passing second, Leo couldn’t help but want to go on and help the team, but with the test ahead, he also knew why he had been rested.

Back on the pitch, the minutes disappeared, ticking down as the away side edged closer and closer to a winner, with Wigan escaping by a hair’s breadth each time.

By the time the clock reached ninety, the DW had become strangely quiet.

There was no panic, but at the same time, there was.

It was the silence of thousands of people who knew what was at stake as the scoreboard remained unchanged.

WIGAN 1–1 BRENTFORD

Finally, after a stoppage in play, the commentator broke through the tension on the broadcast.

”What a match this has been. Some deemed it a very comfortable day for Wigan and from the start, it looked like it might be, but ninety minutes played here at the DW, and after a long battle, it remains 1–1.”

As the commentator went on, the replay of Whatmough’s goal appeared on the broadcast, right as the co-commentator decided to come in.

”Jack Whatmough gave Wigan the lead from Carlo’s cross, but Neal Maupay brought Brentford level, and that is where we stand.”

His co-commentator looked toward the Wigan bench.

”At the moment, it is becoming a very difficult situation for the home supporters.”

The broadcast cameras followed his words and settled on the gloomy faces of the home crowd who hadn’t had anything to cheer about other than shaky tackles and near misses from the opposition side.

”They have been playing with ten men for the better part of half an hour after O’Shea’s red card, and Brentford have certainly had the better of things since then.”

The commentator nodded.

”Wigan have spent much of this second half trying to keep Brentford away from their goal. And now the referee has to decide how much time to add.”

A few moments after the main commentator said this, the fourth official stepped toward the touchline, with his board still facing downward.

Around the stadium, supporters watched him, most in anticipation to see what time sentence the match was getting.

All that while, the Brentford players watched on while the Wigan players stood scattered across the pitch, some bent over with their hands on their knees, others staring toward the touchline.

Then the board was raised, showing that there was going to be seven minutes of added time and for a moment, the DW said nothing.

Then the Brentford end erupted, celebrating the time like they had scored a goal.

Their supporters jumped to their feet, celebrating seven more minutes of opportunity, and through it all, the main commentator’s voice rose above the noise on the broadcast.

”Seven minutes of added time!” He allowed the reaction to settle before continuing.

”Seven minutes that could bring Brentford the goal that ends Wigan’s extraordinary winning run. As it stands now, the perfect run will end if the game is to end like this, but Wigan can still salvage a point and an unbeaten run if they can hold on.”

His co-commentator responded almost immediately.

”Thirteen wins from thirteen, and now seven minutes stand between Wigan and their first dropped points of the season.”