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Both sides also finished the game with ten men after first Jamie Bates and then Roberto Martinez were both given their marching orders for second bookable offences inside the final ten minutes. Before then it looked like Wycombe had done enough to earn a point after Paul McCarthy's 73rd minute header from Steve Brown's corner had squared the scores up. Brown was the only change in the Wycombe line-up to the one that had drawn with Millwall in the week. Keith Ryan was rested after picking up a knock in the meeting with the Lions. The Latics dominated the first-half and carved open the Wycombe defence on several occasions. In the 12th minute record £700,000 signing Lee McCulloch headed over from Lee Ashcroft's cross from the left while three minutes later Michael Simpson's back heel let in Andy Liddle but the Wigan player shot over from 25 yards with Martin Taylor off his line. Liddle limped off with a nasty looking ankle injury on 24 minutes but the visitors continued to look the side more likely to break the deadlock. Darren Sheridan tested Taylor from 22 yards in the 29th minute but the clearest opening came on 35 minutes when Paul Dalglish was left in space on the right flank but Taylor was quick off his line to block before Simpson hacked the ball clear. Wycombe lacked ideas up front and again relied on set plays for inspiration. In the 38th minute a Jason Cousins free-kick into the dangerzone ended with a Brown shot being charged down while three minutes later another move down the Wycombe left saw Guy Whittingham knock the ball back into the path of Andy Rammell but 'Rambo' fired over from 15 yards. Wycombe would have been happy to go into the break and level terms but on the 45 minute mark Sheridan delivered a corner from the right that Lee McCulloch managed to scramble home after Arjan De Zeeuw's header had come back off the crossbar at the far post. Straight from the re-start Wycombe were nearly level but Chris Marsh's shot ended in the side netting after the ball was delivered to the far post from the left wing. Half-time Wycombe 0 Wigan 1 Wycombe improved after the break but still failed to test Wigan 'keeper Roy Carroll. Only Chris Vinnicombe's effort on 65 minutes threatened to breach a robust Wigan defence before Lawrie Sanchez made two substitutions in quick succession - Roy Essandoh and Danny Senda replacing Dannie Bulman and Guy Whittingham. Within three minutes Wycombe were level after Paul McCarthy connected with Brown's corner and despite the efforts of Roy Carroll the ball ended up in the Latics net. It was the perfect opportunity for Wycombe to take control of the game and use the advantage of the tailwind blowing towards the Hillbottom Road end. Instead it was the visitors who turned on the late pressure after seeing Jamie Bates sent off for a second bookable offence after he went through McCulloch. The one-man advantage was evened up in the 86th minute when Martinez caught Essandoh with a late challenge deep in the Wycombe half but Beagrie's 30 yard run in the final minute of stoppage time had Sanchez fuming as more vital league points were thrown away by conceding a late goal. Lawrie Sanchez didn't hang around for long after the game and he now has just over a week, including a four day break in Spain, to work the magic before the big cup showdown with Liverpool. Final Score Wycombe 1 Wigan 2
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