Wigan Athletic – Sunday Reaction

Yesterdays draw up at St. James` Park was a bit of a roller coaster ride to say the least, we had a fantastic start to the game, the ridiculous sending off and then 3 goals in the last ten minutes and the crowning glory was Titus Bramble heading home the equaliser

The game it self was a blood and thunder type with some pretty stiff challenges flying in and Wilson Palacios getting elbowed in the face by Newcastles Gutierrez with referee Andre Marriner taking no action against the Argentine wide man even though it happened right in front of him.

In contrast Emerson Boyce gets two yellow cards for the only challenges he is penalised for, the first one probably being a foul but Enrique made a meal out of it rolling around whilst looking at the ref and as soon as Boycie was booked up he jumped, ridiculous.

The second yellow card wasn`t even a foul, Boyce didn`t even challenge Ameobi, he simply cleared the ball, the decision was diabolical and Marriner looked like he couldn`t wait to send off Boyce, Latics boss Steve Bruce is totally incensed by the decision and is adamant that it cost Latics all the points, Brucie said:

‘I would love to say what I really want to say, but I can’t for obvious reasons’

‘But the sending-off is a joke, an absolute joke of a decision, and cost us ultimately.

‘I think we comfortably would have gone on to win the game with 11 – we should have won the game with 10, if Henri Camara had taken his chance.

‘And now with this stupid rule that you can’t appeal two yellow cards, we miss the boy next week for Everton as well, so I am very disappointed.

‘It’s a howler of a decision. He absolutely got the ball.

‘The referee has got to be absolutely nailed on before he gives a yellow card or before he gives a red card because those decisions change games.

‘That’s why we go nuts. The Respect campaign and all the rest of it – he has got it wrong.`

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear reckons they were the better side, come on Joe you must have been watching a different game then.

Latics totally bossed the game in the first half, following the sending off Newcastle came into it more but the Latics still had some excellent chances to wrap things up and perhaps none better than when Camara broke through on the left of the Newcastle penalty area and beat Given with a low strike that came back off the post.

Interestingly just as Camara was shooting he received a shove in the back; surely Marriner could have awarded a penalty for that offence as Latics gained no advantage.

When Kinnear sent on Michael Owen as a second half sub I felt that he would snatch a goal and surely enough he did, Kirkland parried a strike from outside the box straight to the feet of the former England striker and he doesn`t miss from two feet.

Martins put the Geordies in front on 85 minutes with a terrific strike that almost broke the net and you feared the worst at this stage, after leading for 80 minutes we found ourselves behind by 85, but fear not super Titus was on hand.

From a Daniel DeRidder corner Bramble rose like a majestic salmon swimming up the Tyne, he met the ball with a thunderous header that sent the ball and Damian Duff who was stood on the line into the back of the Newcastle net, make that 2-2 and it felt almost as good as a win

The Latics more than deserved their draw and complaints can be correctly aimed at Mr Marriner incompetent referee extraordinaire

As a footnote some over zealous stewarding saw some Latics fans ‘turfed` out for standing yet 15,000 Geordies werent

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