Lee glee over kid Tammy
BRISTOL CITY boss Lee Johnson produced the kind of nous and impact managers must spend the summer dreaming about.
His double substitution led to Tammy Abraham and Bobby Reid scoring to turn this game on its head in a dramapacked final 10 minutes.
Trailing to Alex Gilbey’s 32nd-minute opener, Johnson sent on both Chelsea loanee Abraham and local boy Reid with 20 minutes left in a bid to ignite his side’s flagging threat.
England Under-19 striker Abraham levelled with a powerful header from a Gary O’Neil corner after 81 minutes – his first goal in senior football – before Reid’s deflected shot in the final minute flew into the top corner.
It was just about deserved given the energy both substitutes had provided and Wigan were wilting even before their arrival.
Johnson said: “I thought it was turning our way before I made the changes, but we just needed more oomph.
“In the end it was like playing on gung-ho mode on Championship Manager. We had six forwards on the pitch at the end. Maybe we will play like that all season.”
Abraham, 18, only arrived from Chelsea on Friday but his power, pace and confidence on the ball illustrated why Johnson had spent weeks trying to talk round Blues boss Antonio Conte.
“He is a fantastic talent and we went to a lot of effort to get him,” said Johnson. “It required meeting his family, talking to lots of people and Chelsea. In some ways we risked other deals failing because we were intent on getting him.”
Wigan’s Will Grigg smoldered rather than caught fire, so it was left to Gilbey to ignite the League One champions.
Dutchman Yanic Wildschut cut the ball back for Gilbey, who let it drift across his body before side-footing into the top right-hand corner.
But the second half belonged to City though, and Wigan boss Gary Caldwell said: “We stopped doing the things we had done well and sat back.” Possession Shots On Target Shots Off Target Blocked Shots Corners Fouls Conceded Offsides Yellow Cards Red Cards 57% 43% 6 3 10 6 8 2 10 2 7 13 2 1 1 4 0 0