Bruce rues Latics absentees
03 Jan 2009 - 10:10:20
Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce was left to rue the absence of several key players after seeing his side beaten 3-1 at Spurs in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Latics were shorn of the services of strikers Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki, while goalkeeper Chris Kirkland also missed the White Hart Lane clash.
After the loss Bruce admitted: "I thought we did okay in patches but we didn't have that real menace in the side, which is normally there with Heskey and Zaki.
"We shaded the first half, but the big decisions went Spurs' way.
"We came here without six or seven players and it's a difficult enough place to come anyway. A club like us can't really compete without those key players, but we gave it a go.
"I think if we'd have had our big-hitters, it would have been a different game.
"I'm hopeful that we can have a few back for our next league game against Spurs in ten days' time and have a go at them then."