Chris Taylor opened his scoring account for the season as Latics fought their way back after an awful opening to their home league game against Bristol Rovers.

The winger (pictured) found the net in the dying seconds of the half to cancel out an early Will Hoskins goal which had given Rovers the lead.

Rovers had right-back Carl Regan booked after only two minutes following a challenge from behind on Chris Taylor.

Dale Stephens took the free kick from the left touchline and Jean Yves M'voto went close with a hear-post header which flashed narrowly wide of the upright.

The visitors took the lead in the eighth minute after an awful piece of defending from Latics.

M'voto attempted to head a long punt downfield back to keeper Dean Brill, but it was woefully weak.

Hoskins sprinted past Jason Jarrett and cooly lobbed Brill from 25 yards.

Latics forced Rovers keeper Mike Green into his first save of the match just short of the half hour, an excellent effort to push away a goalbound free kick from Stephens.

Stephens went close again minutes later as his free kick from 25 yards only cleared the crossbar by several feet.

And a shot from 30 yards, Stephens' third goal attempt in five minutes, was not far off target as Latics began to crank up the tempo.

They were finally rewarded on the stroke of half time when Dean Kelly was fouled on the edge of the box. Instead of shooting, Stephens squared the free kick to Taylor who swept home a shot from 25 yards low to the left of Green.

Latics might even have snatched the lead in stoppage time when Oumare Tounkara inexplicably headed wide from inside the six-yard box when he looked certain to convert Paul Black's left-wing cross.

Half-time: Latics 1, Bristol Rovers 1.