The Latics won 2-1 at Halifax last night in their penultimate friendly game. The first half witnessed an impressive display from the visitors when they took a comfortable 2-0 lead which should have been more, with a rasping shot cannoning back off the cross bar. The second half was less convincing and the home side pulled back an early goal, although it never looked like they would penetrate again.
The centre of defence struggled yet again and manager Darren Kelly was the first to admit that it needed to be sorted, and quickly. James Wilson was struggling with a neck injury and Gavin Gunning was ill so triallists Josh Thompson, released by Colchester, and Fraser Kerr, formerly of Motherwell stepped into the breach.
Kelly admitted, “We are constantly on the look-out. We understand we had only one signed centre-back with George Edmundson and he has been fantastic in the off season, but it would have been unfair to put him in there. We have been working hard behind the scenes to correct that and make sure it is right for the first league game of the season. With James Wilson, he will be key to what we want to do in that centre-back area.”