Another draw as season peters out

Last updated : 27 April 2009 By The Chairman
Latics boss Joe Royle is still looking for his first victory after another draw, this time 1-1 at home to Southend United. Neal Eardley converted a penalty to give the home side the lead but Lee Barnard levelled for the Shrimpers and Royle watched as his sides decent first half deteriorated to a stage where they could have ended up without any points at all.

After the game he told the official website, "1-1 sums us up. At the moment we are incapable of keeping a clean sheet, although we have scored in 7 consecutive games. We just can't keep them out and that's cost us again. Defensively, Southend's equaliser was a shambles. We passed it quite well and put 22 crosses into their box in the first half without getting on the end of one of them. We got what to be honest was a soft penalty to go one-nil up; I would not have been pleased had that been given against us. Then one or two of the lads switched off, and therein lies the problem."

"We are deficient at both ends. A clean sheet wins the game, but Sean Gregan - our best player - misses one header and it ends up in the net. It's not right. Four wins, four draws and paddling around in mid-table is certainly not what I wanted."