Wigan manager Shaun Maloney heaped praise on goalkeeper Sam Tickle as the England Under-21 international made several key saves in his side’s 2-0 success at Carlisle in the first round of the FA Cup.
Tickle made some brilliant saves to stave off a galvanised Carlisle side, who felt aggrieved by Ethan Robson’s 14th-minute red card.
There were two in particular, from Luke Armstrong and Dominic Sadi in extra time, that were as key to Wigan’s success as Scott Smith and Jonny Smith’s goals.
Maloney said: “I don’t think people realise how good this guy is. I don’t care if he’s number three in England Under-21s, if there’s a shot to be saved and my job depends on it, there’s no other English goalie who I’d choose to face it.
“There’s certain areas he could improve on, but in terms in shot stopping, there’s no-one better and I’ve worked with some really good ones in this country.”
Wigan were made to work hard for their win by a dogged Carlisle side, who played most of the match with 10 men, with both goals coming in extra time.
Despite the wait for that all-important goal, Maloney was pleased with his side’s performance.
“It was a difficult match, we were fine to start with, but we lost our way after the red card. In the first half, I think we didn’t know how we were going to hurt them.
“After half-time we made some changes, not just personnel but tactically as well and we were far better. From my point of view, we should have wrapped it up in the 90 but that’s why we love the cup.”
For Carlisle manager Mike Williamson, the wait for a home win continues, but he was pleased with the spirit shown by his side as they kept Wigan out until the 105th minute.
“It was a very wholehearted performance, we defended well but we’re still coming up short in terms of taking chances and obviously it was harder with the red card,” he said.
“We played with resilience, emotion and concentration and that’s all we can ask for.”
Robson’s red card early on made it a tough task for Carlisle and Wiliamson was surprised at the decision.
“I didn’t think it was a red card initially, but sometimes there can be misjudgements and people get things wrong. I looked at their bench and there was no reaction, but it’s one of those things again and that along with missing chances again cost us today.”
Despite the defeat, there were several big performances for the hosts including that of goalkeeper Gabe Breeze, who is currently second choice, and he staked his claim for a regular starting spot.
Williamson added: “Gabe came in and he was fantastic, he made some really big saves but also he played with his feet when he needed to and some went long.
“His performance today was a top, top display and his was one of several good individual performances.”
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