By Alan G
August 27 2006

A lively crowd saw Emile Heskey score his first competitive goal for Latics to secure a 1-0 win over Reading.

Latics took control early on with Heskey teeing up Henri Camara in the fourth minute but the Senegalese international fired wide.

 

Heskey was always a threat, winning everything in the air and was instrumental in the build up to the corner that saw his powerful header smash against the woodwork.

 

It was Latics who were doing all the attacking, with Reading's only real response being a low shot from Leroy Lita which skidded goalwards before Chris Kirkland pushed it away.

 

Camara had to limp off with a hamstring injury, but his replacement David Connelly wasted no time in setting up Antonio Valencia to fire in a powerful save that Marcus Hahnemann did well to push away.

Latics kept coming forward and eventually got their reward in the 38th minute when Lee McCulloch flicked on Denny Landzaat's pass for Heskey to nudge the ball into the net.

Another McCulloch flick almost set Connolly free before the break but this time Hahnemann just beat the striker to the ball.

Reading remained on the back foot after the break with their only chance of note coming when Ivar Ingimarsson met Nicky Shorey's corner but could not direct his header goalwards.

At the other end McCulloch sent a rasping shot flying into the side netting before Heskey wasted a golden chance to wrap things up when his delightful lob fell just the wrong side of the crossbar.

Pascal Chimbonda received a warm welcome from the Latics fans when he came on the replace Heskey in the 76^th minute, and he was instrumental in creating a number of excellent chances.

After Graham Kavanagh wasted a fine chance, being put in the clear only to shoot weakly at Hahnemann’s legs, Latics were nearly made to pay in the dying moments when Oster sent a through ball into the path of Lita. Kirkland reacted well however, and managed to block the strikers shot.

Paul Jewell:
"Thankfully we have got our first win and that was important, even if it wasn't pretty at times.

"We had chances to kill the game off long before the end when we were hanging on.

"In the end we were grateful for a great save from Chris Kirkland but we fully justified the three points."

Latics: Kirkland, Boyce, Hall, De Zeeuw, Baines, Valencia, Scharner, Landzaat (Kavanagh 78), McCulloch, Camara (Connolly 20), Heskey (Chimbonda 76).
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Jackson.

Booked: Heskey, Scharner.

Goal: Heskey 38.

Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Ingimarsson, Sodje, Shorey, Ki-Hyeon (Hunt 69), Sidwell, Harper (Long 87), Convey (Oster 64), Doyle, Lita.
Subs Not Used: Stack, Gunnarsson.

Booked: Ki-Hyeon, Sodje.

Att: 14,636.

Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire).