Match Report: AFC Fylde 0-4 Wigan Athletic

AFC Fylde got more crucial minutes in the legs as they fell to their first defeat of pre-season, losing 4-0 to Wigan Athletic at Mill Farm on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Thelo Aasgaard (x2), Jonny Smith and Dion Rankine saw the Coasters beaten at home against Sky Bet League One opposition.

Head Coach Chris Beech named Adam Long as captain for the friendly.

Wigan were in front inside two minutes. After good build-up play, Matt Smith dinked a pass over the Coasters defence for Aasgaard to run onto and hit his strike low beyond Theo Richardson into the bottom left-corner.

Pushing to level, Fylde, sporting their new black and yellow away kit, threatened minutes later when a corner dropped to Nick Haughton on the edge of the box, who struck an effort which narrowly went over Sam Tickle’s crossbar.

Ustabasi then arrowed a right-footed shot from a tight angle, but it was charged down by Steven Sessegnon.

Wigan’s second goal came on 32 minutes after Smith’s drive from 25-yards found Richardson’s bottom right-corner.

Ending the half positively, Ustabasi’s pace down the left enabled him to get beyond the Latics defence into the box, however he sent his powerful strike just off target.

Tickle was called into action late on, after Haughton won possession following Jolley’s hard work in an attacking position to shoot low, which the Latics goalkeeper held comfortably.

Half-Time: AFC Fylde 0-2 Wigan Athletic

Wigan’s third came just two minutes following the restart, with Aasgaard heading a pinpoint cross from a trialist into the box past Richardson, finding the bottom left-corner.

Shaun Maloney’s visitors added a fourth after 54 minutes. Leo Green found his way into the box after a run from the left, his cross was pushed into Rankine’s path by Richardson, taking a touch and curling an effort which crashed into the top right-corner off the crossbar.

The Coasters went close to pulling one back towards the hour, a goal-mouth scramble ended in Smith superbly clearing a Fylde trialist’s snapshot in a crowded box off the line before Davis bent a right-footed attempt wide of Tickle’s right-post.

Late on, Haughton’s pass out to the left was crossed into the box by substitute Liam McFayden, which Tickle claimed, as Chris Beech’s side lost for the first time this pre-season but gained more valuable minutes as the pre-season schedule continues.

AFC Fylde: Richardson, Evans (Riley 45), Davis (Obi 61), Long ©, Hosannah (McFayden 45), Whelan (Hailwood 61), Mitchell (O’Kane 61), Haughton, Ustabasi (Trialist 45), Jolley (Morris 61), Ormerod (Trialist 45)

Subs not used: Holder, McCullion

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