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Wigan Athletic 0-2 Southampton (FA Cup): Three Key Players

By Jack Deery

WIGAN, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Mark Hughes manager of Southampton celebrates with Cedric Soares and Oriol Romeu after victory in The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Wigan Athletic and Southampton at DW Stadium on March 18, 2018 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
WIGAN, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Mark Hughes manager of Southampton celebrates with Cedric Soares and Oriol Romeu after victory in The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Wigan Athletic and Southampton at DW Stadium on March 18, 2018 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /
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WIGAN, ENGLAND – MARCH 18: Cheyenne Dunkley of Wigan Athletic misses a chance as Alex McCarthy of Southampton looks on during The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Wigan Athletic and Southampton at DW Stadium on March 18, 2018 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
WIGAN, ENGLAND – MARCH 18: Cheyenne Dunkley of Wigan Athletic misses a chance as Alex McCarthy of Southampton looks on during The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Wigan Athletic and Southampton at DW Stadium on March 18, 2018 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Alex McCarthy

The English ‘keeper has been given his first chances this season, after Fraser Forster put in some dire performances, and he has really stepped up to the plate. Having played six games less than Forster in league and cup competitions, McCarthy has already kept more clean sheets (5) than Forster did (4) and this includes 3 clean sheets out of 4 games in the FA Cup.

McCarthy has struggled for game time since joining the club in 2016 usually only featuring in the cup competitions. However, after another very solid performance against a Wigan side who produced a number of chances, it’s difficult to see Forster getting in ahead of the former Reading man anytime soon.

The best part of his performance against Wigan wasn’t making world class or match winning saves, it was him doing the fundamentals correctly. Any corner that was there for the taking was claimed by McCarthy, any dodgy bounces were dealt with and just his positioning didn’t allow Wigan to take any chances that they shouldn’t have.

Competent performances like this up until the end of the season, and McCarthy will have to be considered for the World Cup squad.