Diminutive youngster orchestrated Wigan’s rout of Doncaster

Thelo Aasgaard showed maturity beyond his years by scoring and assisting in Wigan Athletic’s dismantling of Doncaster Rovers.

In a matchday rife with goals, the Keepmoat Stadium was at the epicentre of the action. Four first half goals really set an unlikely precedent.

Many were expecting a dull affair as both teams have struggled in recent weeks, especially with regards to attacking output. Between them in the five previous game weeks, they struck a combined five times.

The Latics were winless in five and without a goal in 384 league minutes prior to kick off; however, they were off the mark before three minutes had elapsed on Saturday. 19-year-old Aasgaard poked the ball into the path of Joe Dodoo, who netted on his return to the side.

The young Norwegian then evolved from provider to predator as he connected to a loose ball and fired it into the bottom corner. Rovers had failed to sufficiently clear their lines, and it subsequently fell to the Wigan starlet who converted his third goal of the campaign.

The former Liverpool prospect rounded off his impressive display by taking the second most shots on the pitch (three). He just fell short of powerhouse Will Keane who tested Ellery Balcombe four times.

Furthermore, Aasgaard was an omnipresent force in the midfield, covering more ground than most. The young dynamo showcased defensive talents beyond his years by making a game-high six tackles/interceptions which is absurd for a fragile playmaker.

The Latics faithful may have been sensing that a positive result was on the horizon as they’ve been quite unfortunate in recent weeks. Their side dominated proceedings in their last outing against Portsmouth on Easter Monday.

They boasted the larger share of the possession as well as registering almost triple the amount of shots against Danny Cowley’s regimented side.

Aasgaard touched on this after the game stating: “It’s frustrating when you’re putting the performances in and you’re not quite getting the results or not quite putting the ball in the back of the net.”

However, following their faultless performance in South Yorkshire he added, “It just shows the persistence that this team has, we’ll never give up.”

 

?️ @TheloAasgaard on a superb team performance at the Keepmoat Stadium…#wafc ?⚪️

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) April 10, 2021

The Norwegian joined Leam Richardson’s side just under three years ago after initially progressing through the youth ranks at Liverpool. After developing both physically and technically, he was eased into senior football.

His maiden season of consistent first team football has been a resounding success, despite only directly contributing to five League One goals. With his exposure to senior football becoming more frequent he will only continue to improve.

Saturday’s crucial triumph hasn’t quite lifted Wigan out of the bottom four – due to Wimbledon thumping Accrington Stanley 5-1. But it has pushed them to 21^st, with just a solitary point separating themselves from League One survival.

The Tics will be hoping to build upon the weekend’s success when they welcome promotion chasing Sunderland to the DW Stadium on Tuesday.

Whereas Doncaster will be desperate to end their eight-match winless run against Burton Albion on the same date. The pressure has started to mount on manager Andy Butler, with his legacy with Rovers at risk of becoming tarnished.

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