Edgar can be the answer to Town's midfield dilemma
It was noticeable that, when manager Chris Powell spoke about new signing David Edgar at his pre-match press conference, he indicated his preferred option was to field him centrally.
Defence was one option, but also in midfield, where Town have faced a delicate problem which the manager had been unable to solve until now, as he finally found his fourth-choice midfielder and a like-for-like alternative to Jonathan Hogg.
Hogg's absence ought to have been felt here, with the game quite a heated encounter, but Edgar's head was the coolest of all in midfield and he helped extinguish any danger created by the dropping deep of James McClean or Emyr Huws' silky work with the ball.
The issue Powell had faced was that he did not want to upset the rhythm and continuity of his first-choice trio of Hogg, Conor Coady and Jacob Butterfield and needed to find someone who would happily fill in as reserve should he lose any of that trident.
He trialled Diego Poyet there but the West Ham United man felt like more of a specialist for the position so in Edgar, a plier of just about all trades, there is both more scope for midfield change without having to commit him to one position and, on this evidence, a quality replacement waiting in the wings.
Coady goals crucial to Town's attacking cause
It is important to consider within Powell's striking options that James Vaughan is ultimately still working his way back from an initial groin injury, not to mention his latest facial troubles, while Nahki Wells is only just beginning to enjoy a sustained run under the new regime.
Beyond that there is precious little and the fact Town's second top scorer Harry Bunn was on the bench yesterday added significant pressure to Wells, who seemed to feel it judging by some hurried finishing.
Butterfield encountered a rare off-day when he simply failed to locate those pockets of space where he can hurt teams and so it was up to his partner in crime Coady to deliver the goods in some fashion.
Irrespective of whether he actually meant the cross-shot which found Scott Carson's top corner, it showed an intent that had been hitherto lacking from the midfield and it was his latest crucial goalscoring act on the road.
His long-range screamer sealed all three points at Wolves - previously Town's last away win - and he netted at Rotherham United too so he is developing a penchant for away goal-getting - alleviating unwanted pressure on the currently threadbare strikeforce.
Rarest of clean sheets should not be undervalued
Town have been on the wrong end of drab 1-0 defeats at Bolton Wanderers and at home to Birmingham City, so this victory felt just as sweet to Powell as the recent Watford win did.
Watching his side claw themselves into a lead and fighting for it as a team will have pleased the manager enormously, as there have been plenty of defensive questions raised on their travels.
Two thirds of the goals Town have conceded have come in away fixtures so far this term and it equates to double the amount shipped at home, so to keep out a home side for only the second time in 2014/2015 is vital to how Town move forward from here.
You would imagine they will fancy their chances of doing the same in two weeks' time against a shot-shy Millwall outfit and any win there really would appease any lingering relegation fears.
Those fears felt as if they had evaporated upon the final whistle, but the contribution of an unbreachable back five on the day was just as crucial as Coady's winner.
Scannell's importance to this side underlined
Town's formation was so fluid at the DW Stadium that it felt almost as if Sean Scannell had been handed free rein to trouble and unbalance a nervous-looking Wigan defence.
Liam Ridgewell and Leon Barnett, to their credit, were both solid and fairly dominant in the air but the same could not be said of left-back Andrew Taylor who appeared to endure a thankless task up against the pace and might of Scannell.
The wideman may be without a goal since rather single-handedly seeing the Terriers beyond Brentford at the start of last month, but he looked really up for the contest here and was the main source of penetration in the opening 45 minutes.
Town peppered balls into the right channel for Scannell to battle for aerially or in putting his body between man and ball and he was invariably the man to come out on top.
He will feel he should have posted an assist for his efforts, but was let down by a wasteful first-half Wells header, but will know his role in the victory served to confirm his status as a genuine matchwinner in Town's ranks.
Act of bravery may alter transfer window tact
Although he will have had reservations pre-match regarding the involvement of masked striker Vaughan, Powell will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that one half of his ever-dwindling frontline options came through unscathed.
The striker showed courage in stepping up to lead the line a week after suffering two fractures and his shock place in the XI could well have steered Town towards a slightly different shortlist to the one which would have been explored had he been ruled out for a lengthy period.
Town still require a Grant Holt type, the sort of striker who can function both as a supporting act and as a solitary spearhead to offer Town boss Powell more flexibility in attack.
But the desperation of their striker search has been tempered somewhat by Vaughan's inclusion here and one assumes Town will continue to monitor players in the mould of former loanee Holt right up until the transfer window deadline.
It would certainly help to bolster what is still a painfully short set of resources for such a key area of the side, even with a masked warrior set to aid their cause.
