Chapter 677: A Sunny Cold! [GT - ]

The short break eventually came to an end.

By Tuesday, Leo was back at Wigan’s training ground, where the weather had done little to improve.

The sky remained grey, and the cold still lingered across the pitches.

His teammates, however, looked considerably better than they had after the Aston Villa game.

There was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere.

Conversations came more easily, the usual jokes had returned, and even the players who had spent most of the previous week complaining about their tired legs seemed to have recovered some enthusiasm.

Dawson gathered the squad before training and looked around at the group.

"Better?"

A few players nodded.

"Much better," Jake answered.

"Good. Because we’ve got work to do."

There were a few smiles as Dawson continued.

"We’ve had a couple of days to recover, and I expect everyone to make the most of that. Palace aren’t going to make things easy for us.

They’re at home, they’ll have their supporters behind them, and they’ll be looking at our position in the table as a reason to have a go."

He glanced towards the players at the back.

"We can’t go there thinking the game will take care of itself, since it won’t. We’ve got to earn everything."

He gave them a moment before continuing.

"I like what I’ve seen this morning. You look sharper, and that’s what we needed. Let’s keep it that way."

The session that followed gave him further reason to be pleased.

The players moved through their drills with considerably more energy.

Passing combinations were sharper, the pressing exercises had a better rhythm, and the intensity remained high even as the session stretched on.

Leo looked particularly comfortable.

He was moving freely again, covering ground without the stiffness that had troubled him after the City and Villa matches.

His passing was crisp, and he seemed to have regained the ease with which he could turn away from pressure.

At one point, he received a pass with a defender closing from behind, shifted the ball across his body and slipped it through to Reyes without breaking stride.

"That’s better," Henderson called from the side as Leo glanced back with a smile.

The veteran had recently turned into somewhat of a teacher for Leo, but the players couldn’t help but laugh whenever he did so.

Because it always felt like a father trying to teach a son how to fish.

For Dawson, the signs were encouraging.

There was still plenty to work on, but at least his players were beginning the week in the condition he wanted.

By Thursday, the focus had shifted almost entirely towards Crystal Palace.

And by Saturday, Wigan were on their way to Selhurst Park.

The welcome from the home supporters was loud.

Selhurst Park had its own atmosphere, and the Crystal Palace fans were determined to make their presence felt.

Their team had spent much of the season in the middle of the table, sitting fourteenth, but a home fixture against the league leaders offered an opportunity to make a statement.

Wigan, meanwhile, arrived knowing that every point mattered.

A win would keep them moving in the right direction and prevent their rivals from gaining any ground.

Eventually, the teams took their positions.

And the opening half-hour was far less comfortable than Wigan would have liked.

Palace started aggressively, closing down the midfield and refusing to let the visitors settle.

Their players pressed in numbers, using the narrow spaces around the centre circle to force Wigan into hurried decisions.

Whenever Leo received possession, someone was already moving towards him.

The home side were particularly careful about allowing him to turn.

Their midfielders stayed close enough to challenge his first touch, while the defenders behind them maintained a compact shape.

It wasn’t always pretty, but it kept Wigan from establishing the control they usually enjoyed.

Palace also looked dangerous when they won the ball.

They attacked quickly through the wide areas, trying to get behind Wigan’s fullbacks before the visitors could reorganise.

Their movement forced Dawson’s defenders to remain alert, and Amos was called into action once when a low cross found its way through the penalty area.

For a while, the match remained balanced as neither side managed to establish a clear advantage.

Then, just beyond the half-hour mark, Wigan began to find their rhythm.

Their passing became more assured.

Henderson started receiving the ball in better positions, and Reyes found room to turn between the lines.

Palace were still competing, but their midfield was being forced deeper with each passing minute.

Wigan were beginning to take control, and three minutes later, they made it count.

The move began with a quick exchange in midfield.

Leo helped shift the ball towards the right, where Henderson found space to play forward.

The ball moved through two more Wigan players before reaching Ezra.

The winger took one touch, looked up and, meeting his gaze, Fletcher began to run.

Knowing a split second could be the difference between on or offside, Ezra slipped the ball into the space ahead of him, splitting the defenders and leaving the striker with a clear route towards goal.

Fletcher took it in stride and found Dean Henderson rushed forward, trying to narrow the angle, but the Wigan forward had already decided where he wanted to put it.

He struck firmly across the goalkeeper, sending the ball beyond his reach and in the next second, the net rippled.

"Goal! Ashley Fletcher!"

Wigan’s players turned towards the away supporters, where a burst of celebration rose from the travelling section.

Crystal Palace 0–1 Wigan Athletic.

Fletcher was quickly surrounded by his teammates, but the home supporters were less pleased.

A few whistles came from the stands as Palace returned to the centre circle.

Their players exchanged words before taking their positions, but Wigan had found the breakthrough they needed.

And they weren’t finished.

The goal changed the balance of the game and, in turn, gave the away side a bit more confidence.

Wigan began pressing Palace’s attempts to play out from the back, cutting off the short passing options and forcing their defenders into increasingly uncomfortable decisions.

The midfield pushed higher, while the forwards positioned themselves to close down the goalkeeper’s preferred outlets.

Palace struggled to respond, and so long balls became more frequent.

Their defenders began bypassing the midfield altogether, hoping to find a forward who could hold the ball up long enough for the rest of the team to move forward.

But as always, Wigan were ready for it.

Whatmough and Tilt dealt with the aerial challenges, while Leo positioned himself around the second balls.

Whenever Palace tried to build another attack, Wigan were already waiting to contest possession.

Oliver Glasner could see the problem and decided to react to it.