Stu Forster/Getty ImagesA draw was a fair result though the poor refereeing undermined Everton's afternoon.

Yet to master the art of consistency, Everton are playing well in patches. Unfortunately, the poor patches are leading to goals against and at times it is all too easy for opponents. Dominant starts turn into poor second halves or slow starts slowly gear towards rousing finishes; Everton need to find a consistent, stable middle ground.

For the second week running, a slow start left an uphill task. Last week, fast flowing football was enough to turn it around but Everton came up just short yesterday at Wigan in the 2-2 draw. While poor officiating did little to aid the Toffees' recovery, slow starts are costly at this level.

Struggling for the majority of the first half, Everton found themselves behind after just 10 minutes. Showing he still has much to learn defensively, Seamus Coleman failed to stop Shaun Maloney’s run and cross, with Arouna Kone on hand to put Wigan ahead. Everton appeals went ignored despite Kone clearly standing in an offside position.

In spite of their poor start, Everton were level immediately with Nikica Jelavic heading a misdirected Steven Pienaar shot into the far corner. As Everton failed to heed previous warnings, Kone turned provider for Wigan's second. Turning Johnny Heitinga inside out, the forward’s cutback found Franco Di Santo who viciously lashed the ball beyond Tim Howard. This was not Heitinga's finest hour, but more on that later.

Phil Neville was culpable for the second but any errors are to be expected; after all, he's a full back playing in midfield. Having played as in defence for the majority of his career, Neville is used to the game happening in front of him. Evidently, the extra awareness required for midfield was lacking on Saturday as Di Santo ran in behind unmarked.

Hauled off at half time after playing in a lackadaisical fashion, Heitinga needs to improve his concentration and performance levels in order to reclaim his place. The introduction of Sylvain Distin strengthened the Everton defence -- the Frenchman's height and pace were, as it turned out, much needed.

However, regardless of who plays at centre back, Everton are yet to look at ease. Possessing three very good centre halves, David Moyes is yet to settle on a first choice pairing as all three -- Heitinga, Distin and Phil Jagielka -- have shown inconsistencies. Displaying yawning gaps and an alarming lack of communication, the problems at centre back need fixing and quickly.

Highly ineffective during the first half, Marouane Fellaini returned to central midfield in the second half and Everton were the better for it. Looking for the ball, the big Belgian allowed Everton to build an attacking platform for the impressive duo of Leighton Baines and Pienaar.

The better side in the second half, Kevin Mirallas twice went close for Everton and the impressive Baines saw his effort hit the post as Everton pressed for an equaliser. The away support howled with derision as the referee turned down several penalty appeals with Maynor Figueroa’s flying boot clearly catching Jelavic for a most valid of claims.

Eventually, Kevin Friend gave the visitors a penalty with three minutes remaining. After Gary Caldwell wrestled Anichebe to the floor, Figueroa tripped Mirallas and Baines did the rest with an emphatic penalty. Ironically, of the four penalty appeals, the one given was arguably the weakest shout.

The home side almost snatched a winner at the death but Maloney shot when a pass would have given Wigan the points. In the end, a point was a fair result after a poor start though the poor refereeing decisions leave a bitter taste.

In the centre of the pitch, Darron Gibson's return cannot come soon enough. Moving Fellaini back to central midfield helped as his physical presence provided Wigan with an obstacle. But lacking the pace, strength or defensive awareness of central midfielders, teams can bypass Leon Osman and Neville with ease, forcing the defence to work overtime in order to cope.

The return of Fellaini to midfield would also allow Leon Osman to return to his favoured advanced role from where he can exploit the greater freedom. Despite his threat, Fellaini is not as technical as most attacking midfielders; with quicker feet and a sharper eye for a pass, Osman can provide more reliable ammunition for Jelavic.

Unsettled at centre back and lightweight in midfield, Everton need to get back to basics. Ending last season in fine form, the midfield pairing of Gibson and Fellaini were a large part of that. With both willing to seek possession and good in the tackle, the Everton midfield is crying out for them.

After seven games, 14 points still represents a very good start. The nagging disappointment is that it could and probably should be more. With a fixture list featuring some very winnable upcoming games, Everton need to lay down a marker and ensure this strong start progresses rather than fades away.

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