Words: Pete Tscherewik, Images: David Airey
CHORLEY fell to a narrow defeat to Wigan Athletic after Dara Castelloe’s quickfire double downed the Magpies after Tom Carr opening the scoring.
Chorley, fielding a mix of first-team players, youth prospects and trialists, gave a strong account of themselves against Ryan Lowe’s League One side.
Wigan started brightly, with Joe Hungbo and new signing Paul Mullin, on loan from Wrexham, posing early threats. Mullin nearly opened the scoring inside ten minutes, but fired over the bar.
Chorley responded well and had their moments, particularly when Kole Hall forced a save from Wigan keeper Sam Tickle. Their efforts were rewarded in the 35th minute when Tom Carr pounced inside the box to grab the opener.
After the break, both managers rang the changes; Chorley making seven substitutions and Wigan replacing their entire starting eleven.
Both sides started slowly after the restart, but momentum shifted when Wigan’s Dara Castelloe capitalised on his second opportunity to level proceedings on 77 minutes.
Moments later, he added a second, this time running onto a ball over the top and calmly slotting past Green to complete the turnaround.
Chorley now turn their attentions to their next pre-season game against Preston North End on Wednesday.
