Martinez blast sees Rodallega make a point

By Jon Culley at the dw stadium

Benni McCarthy answered Sam Allardyce's call for a statement of intent with his first Premier League goal since May. He might then have secured only a second away win of the season for Blackburn but for a piece of brilliance by Chris Kirkland in the Wigan goal.

The striker, making only his fifth start of the season in a notoriously goal-shy attack, put Blackburn ahead after half an hour, finishing from close range after a neat move in which captain Ryan Nelsen, at the far post, met Keith Andrews's free-kick with a header across goal.

Wigan equalised through a Hugo Rodallega header eight minutes into the second half, a just reward for a feisty response to some blunt half-time words from Roberto Martinez, the manager, as the hosts had been inferior by far, before the break.

Blackburn finished strongly but McCarthy saw his bid to supply further evidence in his case for a run in the side foiled when Kirkland placed himself in the way of a goal-bound overhead kick with six minutes left.

Anxious for a regular start in Rovers' side in the build-up to South Africa hosting the World Cup, McCarthy, who is 32, must wait to see if Allardyce's line-up against Sunderland tomorrow offers him another chance.

Given that Blackburn have scored only twice in their last seven games, though, it would seem folly to leave him out.

"Of course he wants to play in the World Cup finals, because it is probably his last chance and it is in his home country," Allardyce said.

"I'm only interested in seeing him play for Blackburn like he did today. He's scored a good goal and Kirkland has somehow kept out an overhead kick that would have gone in 99 times out of 100.

"Overall we are disappointed not to have won with the chances we had, particularly towards the end of the game."

It was an understandable reaction from a manager desperate to record a victory after failing to do so in six matches.

But if a point was only of a little more use to Wigan in their struggle to keep clear of the bottom three, of the managers, Martinez was the more pleased with the performance.

Wigan might have equalised late in the first half, Pascal Chimbonda making a vital clearance after Paul Robinson saved Jason Scotland's strike. There was then a noticeable improvement once Martinez, the former Swansea City manager, had outlined where they were going wrong.

After Rodallega, the Colombian, had headed in Charles N'Zogbia's cross, it took a good save from Robinson to stop Scotland putting them in front.

"After a first half that was not good enough I was pleased with the reaction," Martinez said.

"It showed great character and I felt we had reached a turning point in the season."

Attendance: 20,243

Referee: M Clattenburg

Man of the match: Melchiot

Match rating: 6/10