Godwin gives Wigan spark

Wigan 36 Warrington 17

Dave Hadfield
Sunday 10 July 2005 00:00 BST
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Wigan were trailing by a point when Wayne Godwin swivelled from dummy-half and skidded over the line. In the last 10 minutes, Danny Orr kicked to the wing and Liam Colbon leapt to take the ball and score, a last-minute effort from Terry Newton and three goals from Danny Tickle completing a deceptively clear-cut scoreline.

"They're a lot bigger team than us, but we won well and that was indicative of the way we hung in there," said Millward. "It was definitely our best performance since I came here."

Warrington's Paul Cullen blamed their defeat on a lack of composure. "We got through their line on numerous occasions but couldn't get our players there in support," he said.

In the build-up to the first try Dennis Moran sent Chris Melling through and Martin Aspinwall was set to score until Martin Gleeson's tackle, which might have arrived fractionally ahead of the ball. Warrington got away with it and, from the scrum, Brent Grose went the length of the field to score.

Wigan did not brood at the injustice and hit back immediately. Moran kicked through from close range and then won the race to touch down. Liam Botham's missed conversion left Wigan still two points in arrears.

Warrington's continued effortsyielded something tangible on the half hour when Toa Kohe-Love took Michael Wainwright's pass and jinked his way to the line. Chris Bridge could not add the conversion this time but, right on half-time, put over a 40-metre drop goal to edge Warrington further ahead.

Ten minutes into the second half Harrison Hansen stole the ball from Paul Noone and Wigan scored through Newton and David Allen setting up Melling.

Wainwright should have stretched Warrington's lead again but passed to Colbon rather than his own support. That left Wigan to go in front for the first time, Brett Dallas taking a return pass from Tickle to find a way through.

It was a short-lived lead, Bridge showing great enterprise by weaving his way past four tacklers when Wigan were expecting the kick and adding the goal for good measure. Wigan appeared to be struggling once more but their grandstand finish was reminiscent of better days.

Wigan: Melling; Colbon, Aspinwall, Vaealiki, Dallas; Orr, Moran; Hargreaves, Godwin, Guisset, Allen, Wild, Botham. Substitutes used: Tickle, Seuseu, Newton, Hansen.

Warrington: Grose; Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Kohe-Love, Gaskell; Bridge, N Wood; P Wood, Clarke, Likevoll, Wainwright, Swann, Westwood. Substitutes used: Mark Gleeson, Lima, Noone, Pickersgill.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).

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