The Latics pulled out two cracking late goals to secure their first league win in 13 matches. The vociferous travelling band were making up all sorts of songs to keep themselves amused, the diehard fans were expecting a late killer punch from the hosts to inflict another 1-0 loss, while the time fizzled out. One of the favourites was a rendition of “Let's pretend we scored a goal” followed by rousing cheers, a chant which was repeated with more gusto every time it was sung – such was the desperation for a goal.
However, this time it was not to be as a late scorching Chris Taylor run into the box resulted in the referee awarding the Latics a penalty with minutes to go. With their recent lack of scoring, the players rushed to hide behind the corner flags in case they were called upon to MISS the penalty shot. Jason Lowe, playing in only his second game for the club since arriving on loan from Blackburn Rovers, stepped up to score from the spot. Technically it wasn't the best penalty kick in the manual, but it didn't matter to the 500 fans who had made their way to Meadow Lane to see the expected loss to possibly a Lee Hughes goal. The crowd went wild as the 19-year-old midfielder stroked the ball home.
Ex-Latics striker Hughes had a chance to level the scores before Reuben Reid sealed the game with a well struck shot from the six yard box. This was too much for the fans who left the ground singing “Let's pretend we won the league.”
A relieved Latics boss, Paul Dickov, said, “I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’ but I felt it was coming, I really did. It was pleasing to keep a clean sheet again and let’s not take anything away from the goalkeeper and the back four for the way we defended. To get that little bit of luck with the penalty, which I think it was. Jason Lowe showed a lot of guts to go up and take it, for a young kid in his second game. There weren’t too many who wanted it, either, only Jason and Ritchie Jones. I have taken penalties myself and it takes a lot of guts when you haven’t scored for a long time and haven’t won for a long time. His performance was excellent and he deserved it.”
“I am delighted with the boys, not just for this game but the way they have kept at it over the last six to eight weeks. Things haven’t been going well but they should be proud of how they have acted on and off the pitch. During this run, the easiest thing would have been to let their heads go down and for sections to moan and groan because they are not in the team. When results aren’t going your way it’s the manager’s fault, it’s the training, it’s your team-mates, it’s the fans, it’s the club. Not once have I heard that. They deserve it because they worked their socks off. We knew it would be a scrappy game. The conditions weren’t conducive to a good football match. We told the boys it would be a battle and we said to them at half-time to keep believing and keep battling away. I wouldn’t say it was a fantastic game. It was a real battle and it could possibly have gone either way. But I did think we were the better team.” County manager Paul Ince was fired immediately after the match.