Will Keane brace helps Wigan down Gillingham and reclaim top spot in League One

Posted Sunday, January 23, 2022 by PA

Wigan returned to the top of Sky Bet League One for the first time in more than two months after overcoming Gillingham in a five-goal thriller at the DW Stadium.

Wigan, on a 16-match unbeaten run, came flying out of the traps and were two goals to the good inside 21 minutes.

First, Gwion Edwards’ eighth-minute cross was turned in by top scorer Will Keane and then Stephen Humphrys played a nice one-two with Edwards before firing into the bottom corner of the net.

With Tom Naylor hitting the bar, and Keane striking a post and seeing another effort headed off the line by Max Ehmer, Wigan would have been wondering how they were not out of sight by half-time.

And those near-misses came back to haunt them when Ben Reeves pulled one back for the Gills within eight minutes of the restart.

Incredibly, Gillingham, without a win in 14 matches, levelled in the 69 minute through Stuart O’Keefe.

But Wigan once again rallied late on to score another important goal, as James McClean’s corner was headed back by Jason Kerr for Keane to turn the ball home from less than a yard to secure a 3-2 win.