A shot of Brandy made all the difference on a cold evening at Wigan's JJB Stadium.
Febian Brandy pounced on a defensive mix-up five minutes after the break to score his sixth of the season and the only goal of the game as United's Reserves beat Wigan Athletic's second-string 1-0.
The Reds' win, while less than scintillating, was thoroughly deserved and saw Brian McClair's side leap to fourth in the league.
United's grasp on the game was never in question and Sam Hewson threatened as early as the first minute with a shot from distance. That effort sailed over the bar and Hewson was again unlucky 10 minutes later when his goalbound effort was deflected by a Wigan defender for a corner.
By that stage, the home side had already been forced into an early substitution. Goalkeeper Russell Saunders was replaced in the third minute after injuring his groin, making way for 16-year-old Neil Postlethwaite.
Postlethwaite needed to be at his best to keep the scores level when Kieran Lee broke clear after 23 minutes, but it was Brandy's radar that prevented United taking the lead 60 seconds later. Chris Eagles swung in a teasing cross from the right flank, but the young striker headed wide from eight yards.
Brandy did find the net on 50 minutes after Hewson's shot bounced back off the Wigan goalkeeper. The ball looked to have fallen to Latics centre back Andrew Pearson but he hesitated and, as he waited for Postlethwaite to come and claim the ball, Brandy slid in to open the scoring.
At the other end, there was a change of goalkeeper for United when Ben Amos, making his Reserves debut, limped off on 52 minutes after making a routine save. Substitute stopper Gary Woods was kept relatively quiet, although the Latics did see half chances fall to Salomon Olembe and Rachid Bouaouzan. Both men, however, failed to hit the target.
At the final whistle, Wigan were left to reflect on yet another poor showing in front of goal (indeed, the Latics have failed to find the back of the net at home all season), while United jumped four places up the league table and registered a second successive away victory.
United: Amos (Woods 56), Gray, Eckersley R, Chester, Simpson; Eagles, Lee, Hewson (Cleverley 52), Barnes; Fangzhuo (Welbeck 68), Brandy
Choccy: Room to improve
Ever the perfectionist, Brian McClair was unhappy with the Reserves' performance on Wednesday night, even though the Reds left the JJB Stadium with three points.
United beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 courtesy of a second-half Febian Brandy goal, but McClair was less than inspired by what was, at times, a scrappy affair.
"We won tonight and that's about all I can say," the former United striker told MUTV. "Apart from the defenders, who were excellent again tonight, we were ghastly. We didn't play well, we didn't play quickly enough and made too many poor decisions.
"I think we were trying to defy the simple laws of physics – solid objects just don't go through other solid objects. We were trying to pass the ball through opposition players, hitting it straight at them.
"I'm disappointed but it gives us a lot of things to work on in training."
www.manutd.com
Febian Brandy pounced on a defensive mix-up five minutes after the break to score his sixth of the season and the only goal of the game as United's Reserves beat Wigan Athletic's second-string 1-0.
The Reds' win, while less than scintillating, was thoroughly deserved and saw Brian McClair's side leap to fourth in the league.
United's grasp on the game was never in question and Sam Hewson threatened as early as the first minute with a shot from distance. That effort sailed over the bar and Hewson was again unlucky 10 minutes later when his goalbound effort was deflected by a Wigan defender for a corner.
By that stage, the home side had already been forced into an early substitution. Goalkeeper Russell Saunders was replaced in the third minute after injuring his groin, making way for 16-year-old Neil Postlethwaite.
Postlethwaite needed to be at his best to keep the scores level when Kieran Lee broke clear after 23 minutes, but it was Brandy's radar that prevented United taking the lead 60 seconds later. Chris Eagles swung in a teasing cross from the right flank, but the young striker headed wide from eight yards.
Brandy did find the net on 50 minutes after Hewson's shot bounced back off the Wigan goalkeeper. The ball looked to have fallen to Latics centre back Andrew Pearson but he hesitated and, as he waited for Postlethwaite to come and claim the ball, Brandy slid in to open the scoring.
At the other end, there was a change of goalkeeper for United when Ben Amos, making his Reserves debut, limped off on 52 minutes after making a routine save. Substitute stopper Gary Woods was kept relatively quiet, although the Latics did see half chances fall to Salomon Olembe and Rachid Bouaouzan. Both men, however, failed to hit the target.
At the final whistle, Wigan were left to reflect on yet another poor showing in front of goal (indeed, the Latics have failed to find the back of the net at home all season), while United jumped four places up the league table and registered a second successive away victory.
United: Amos (Woods 56), Gray, Eckersley R, Chester, Simpson; Eagles, Lee, Hewson (Cleverley 52), Barnes; Fangzhuo (Welbeck 68), Brandy
Choccy: Room to improve
Ever the perfectionist, Brian McClair was unhappy with the Reserves' performance on Wednesday night, even though the Reds left the JJB Stadium with three points.
United beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 courtesy of a second-half Febian Brandy goal, but McClair was less than inspired by what was, at times, a scrappy affair.
"We won tonight and that's about all I can say," the former United striker told MUTV. "Apart from the defenders, who were excellent again tonight, we were ghastly. We didn't play well, we didn't play quickly enough and made too many poor decisions.
"I think we were trying to defy the simple laws of physics – solid objects just don't go through other solid objects. We were trying to pass the ball through opposition players, hitting it straight at them.
"I'm disappointed but it gives us a lot of things to work on in training."
www.manutd.com