Latics defender admits he had a 'nightmare' against Luton with 'big mistake' leading to Town's opener

Wigan defender Steven Caulker conceded he had a ‘nightmare’ during the Latics’ 2-0 Championship defeat against Luton Town at the weekend.

The 31-year-old was making his home debut for the club having signed on a free transfer recently after being released by Turkish side Fatih Karagümrük, where he hadn’t featured since late October.

Caulker, who has played for Spurs, QPR, Cardiff and Liverpool, even winning one England cap in his 14-year career, had once been training with the Hatters back in January 2018, but wasn’t offered a deal by then boss Nathan Jones.

Having helped Wigan to a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City in his first game, the now Sierra Leone international was recalled by under-fire boss Kolo Toure on Saturday after being ineligible for Tuesday night’s 2-1 FA Cup third round replay victory at the same venue.

However, with 10 minutes of the second tier contest gone, receiving the ball just outside his area from fellow new addition, on-loan Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez, Caulker was caught dawdling by Harry Cornick who nicked it off him and avoided the cynical trip that followed from the defender, to fire past Ben Amos via a deflection from the sliding Charlie Hughes.

Caulker was then give the runaround by Elijah Adebayo shortly afterwards, Town's in-form striker bursting down the left touch-line before cutting in and sidefooting narrowly wide of the post.

Town did had a second goal early after the break, with the defence unable to stop Luton’s front two linking up for Adebayo’s third in three games, as although Wigan huffed and puffed in the final half an hour, they never looked like forcing a comeback.

Writing on Linkedin at the weekend, an honest Caulker said: "I had a nightmare game yesterday.

"10 minutes in I made a big mistake that led to a goal.

"This isn't a post with a fairytale ending, we lost the game 2-0.

"It's a lot easier to only post when things are going well and I can show everyone my accolades.

"But that wouldn't be a true reflection of my life, and certainly wouldn't be a true reflection of my life as a footballer.

"The highs and lows are extreme, and can happen so fast.

"Thankfully, I have the tools to deal with the lows, I certainly didn't when I was younger.

"I felt so alone, I felt like I had let everyone down, and the shame was overwhelming.

"I've seen a lot better players than me completely crumble when things go wrong.

" A few days rest and I will be back.

"One thing you can be absolutely certain of is the fact I will keep on fighting until the very end."