The pursuit of the 92 continues apace

Posted on June 9, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Shrewsbury Town New Meadow

Shrewsbury Town’s New Meadow. Photograph by James Humphreys

Despite the doom and gloom of Wigan’s relegation to League One, there is at least one positive to come out of last season’s pitiful showing, that is my mission to visit all 92 Football League grounds can now gather pace.

Back in 2012 I wrote about the pursuit of the 92 football league grounds – the goalposts keep moving. I highlighted the fact that one of the few disadvantages of Latics extended stay in the Premier League was that it had prevented me from getting to as many of the 92 Football League grounds as I’d have liked.

However, following Wigan’s recent fall down the Football League pyramid I can now at least seek out the grounds I missed during our meteoric rise to the Premier League.

Next season I will be able to visit seven new grounds in League One. Other commitments permitting, I should be able to get to Burton Albion, Colchester United, Coventry City, Gillingham, Peterborough, Shrewsbury, and Southend.

Maybe not the most glamorous list of locations but for the committed football fan and ground hopper it makes perfect sense.

When Wigan were previously in the lower divisions I enjoyed many years visiting a long list of grounds from Bury’s Gigg Lane to York City’s Bootham Crescent and in the process had some memorable days out.

It is fair to say that the atmosphere and camaraderie at these smaller grounds can often be preferable to those at the Premier League grounds.

My list of grounds is growing, and it appears I’ve visited 68 of the current 92 members of the Football League. Not a bad haul but perhaps slightly short of where I would like to be.

In my previous piece I noted that I would have experienced more grounds but many of the teams in the league have now built new stadia and in the process moved locations.

The building of a new ground can be something of an irritation to those who are seeking to do the 92. You tick off a ground only to find that you now have to visit it again!

The building of new football grounds has been something of a boon to the construction industry in recent years.

New grounds in League 1 and 2 include: Shrewsbury Town who have moved to New Meadow, Chesterfield to B2net Stadium, Colchester United to Colchester Community Stadium, Chesterfield to Proact Stadium, Coventry City to Ricoh Arena, Crawley Town to Broadfield Stadium, Northampton Town to Sixfields Stadium, and Morecambe to Globe Arena.

Other new grounds in the pipeline are Scunthorpe United, ready during 2015/16 and York City and Brentford who should have new grounds by 2016/17.

Teams dropping out of the football league further complicate the task of completing the 92 clubs.

Teams like Tranmere Rovers, Cheltenham, Halifax Town (now AFC Halifax), Wrexham, Macclesfield Town, Chester City, Lincoln City, Hereford United, Darlington, Grimsby Town and Stockport County were once regular opponents for Latics.

On the other hand some teams, like Wigan, have made the journey from non-league to Football League.

I remember visiting the dilapidated Fleetwood Town ground when they were in the Northern Premier League but they have now progressed to League One and their newish Highbury Stadium is on the same site as the old ground.

In many ways returning to League One will be a return to Wigan’s roots in the Football League. Prior to 2003 Latics had spent 25 years in the third and fourth tier of English football.

For the old brigade, like myself, it should feel like a re-connection with our past but for some of the newer/younger fans the smaller new grounds may come as a shock after the glory days of the Premier League and FA Cup success.

But whatever your age or length of time supporting Latics, it is definitely worth embracing the new experience, following the team on their travels and getting behind the team on the pitch.

You might say it’s an obsession to tick off all 92 grounds but I get to see parts of England I wouldn’t necessarily visit and in the process have some great away days and maybe even see a few Wigan victories in the process.

Posted in League One, League Two, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

12th Man: 20 a season man, please

Posted on May 7, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Wigan manager Gary Caldwell

Wigan manager Gary Caldwell has a major rebuilding job ahead

At the beginning of the season I predicted that Latics would be amongst the teams challenging for promotion. What a shock it’s been to see Wigan relegated to League One. Few people could have predicted such a dramatic demise.

There are a number of factors that have contributed to the failure including: poor transfer business, lack of a goal scorer, appointing Malky Mackay, too many players past their best, a massive turnover of players and lack of a team spirit.

The performance at Brentford was fairly typical of our season, after a good opening 25 minutes Latics failed to take the lead and then, when they went behind, the players’ heads went down.

The difference between the two teams at Brentford was for all to see. Brentford are a hungry, attack-orientated team who like to pass the ball and show great movement. They have a small squad with a great team spirit. They have players who are capable of going past their opponents and creating opportunities.

Wigan in contrast were pedestrian, our build up play was far too slow to threaten the opposition. When they did get near the Brentford goal the forwards looked incapable of evading their markers and getting a shot on target.

So where do we go from here?

Many of the Wigan players on display at Brentford will not be at the club next season and rightly so. Gary Caldwell has a major rebuilding job ahead of him in the close season if the club is to stand a chance of a quick return to the Championship.

The retained list should make very interesting reading. The loan players have returned to their parent clubs and Latics will have decisions to make about Oriol Riera, Andy Delort, James Tavernier and Rob Kiernan.

That great servant Ali Al-Habsi has already indicated that he will be leaving the club and I expect that several others could leave including James McClean, Scott Carson, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Kim Bo-Kyung, Gaetan Bong and William Kvist.

Lee Nicholls has been offered a new deal and FA Cup winning captain Emmerson Boyce may be offered a playing and coaching role with the club.

Caldwell will give a chance to young players such as Tim Chow, Louis Robles and Jordan Flores but top of the shopping list must be a striker who can guarantee 20-plus goals in League One.

Caldwell has promised the fans that they’ll see a better team on the first day of next season. We will just have to trust him that this will be the case.

This article was first published in the 12th Man column for the Wigan Evening Post on 8th May 2015

Posted in Championship, Gary Caldwell, League One, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Listless Latics undone by busy Bees – Brentford 3 Wigan Athletic 0

Posted on May 3, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Brentford's Griffin Park

Aerial view of Brentford’s Griffin Park by Andreas Praefcke

Wigan ended their woeful season with a 3-0 defeat as Brentford convincingly moved into the Championship play-offs.

The Bees took the lead through Alex Pritchard’s deflected first half free-kick. Jota’s goal early in the second half took Brentford into fifth place, above Ipswich Town on goals scored, before Andre Gray made it 3-0.

James Tarkowski’s late penalty was well saved by Latics keeper Lee Nicholls but the Bees sealed fifth spot as Ipswich lost 3-2 at Blackburn.

Brentford will now face Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off semi final.

Gary Caldwell made four changes to his starting line-up with Billy Mckay starting for the first the first time since his move from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in January and Lee Nicholls making his first appearance for Latics in 18 months. Other changes saw starts for Don Cowie and Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Latics were cheered on by a thousand plus following and there was a lively atmosphere in the away end.

Latics started well and Fortune forced a save from Bees keeper David Button after just three minutes before Gaetan Bong tried his luck from distance. Fortune then had the ball in the back in the net on 19 minutes but the goal was ruled out after the linesman judged the ball had gone out of play before Bong pulled it back. James Perch then fired in a 25 yard effort that was deflected for a corner.

But the game turned in Brentford’s favour on 26 minutes when Alex Pritchard’s 30 yard free-kick was deflected off the Wigan wall and into the top corner of Nicholls’ goal. It was a huge body blow to Latics and the players heads noticeably dropped.

Brentford now started to take control of the game with their slick passing and good movement. Latics by contrast were laboured in their build up play.

Brentford went into the interval with the one goal advantage but the points were sealed for the Bees within seconds of the restart when Jota ran through the Wigan defence and slotted past Nicholls.

Wigan should have reduced the deficit almost immediately Mckay had a shot in the area but the ball hit Jake Bidwell and Button managed to save the deflected effort on his goal-line.

Results were going in Brentford’s favour elsewhere and the tide of pressure on the Latics goal increased. Dean fired over the crossbar for the Bees but it only looked a matter of time before they would add to the lead.

Brentford did score their third on 80 minutes when Andre Gray finished from inside the area after a neat interchange. Don Cowie then upended Alan Judge in the box but James Tarkowski’s penalty was well saved by Nicholls diving to his right.

Latics had been thoroughly outplayed in the second half and the huge difference between the two teams was for all to see. Many of the Wigan players on display will not be at the club next season and rightly so.

Gary Caldwell has a major rebuilding job ahead of him in the close season if the club want a speedy return to the Championship.

Caldwell was bitterly disappointed with the performance and said the squad needs a fresh impetus and he promised the fans that they’ll see a better team on the first day of next season.

“It’s going to be a long and hard process and we’re going to need some fresh impetus to the squad, I think the players that want to leave, will leave, we need to rebuild all through the summer, pre-season we’ll work very hard and I can assure the fans that we’ll have a better team on the pitch next year,” he added.

“The fans were amazing, we let them down today; they pay a lot of money to come and back us and support us and the second-half wasn’t good enough.”

Posted in Alex Pritchard, Andre Gray, Brentford, Championship, Jota, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

12th Man: Feeling positive

Posted on April 29, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Wigan badge banner

Wigan Athletic banner at Wembley

The inevitable finally happened on Tuesday night and Wigan were relegated to League One when Rotherham defeated Reading. It is difficult not to be a little despondent after a Championship season that promised so much ended in failure.

In pre-season the prospects looked good. Uwe Rosler’s team had reached an FA Cup semi-final, just missed out in the play-offs and player recruitment had seemingly gone well.

But the season had started poorly with Latics in the bottom three by mid-November and Rosler had clearly lost the dressing room.

Dave Whelan decided that a change in manager was necessary to give Latics a chance of promotion, but the controversial appointment of Malky Mackay was a huge risk and it was to prove a disastrous one.

Appointing Mackay as manager created a media storm and when Whelan tried to defend him matters only got worse. Mackay oversaw the complete break up of the FA Cup winning team and replaced them with journeymen and triallists.

The results deteriorated further with no home win during Mackay’s tenure and it was a relief for everyone when he was sacked.

The introduction of former Wigan and Scotland captain Gary Caldwell as manager was too late to avoid relegation, but he has given everyone hope that a return to the good times could be ahead.

Caldwell has instilled a good feeling amongst the fans and players and there is a belief that with the financial support of the Whelan family we can rise again. Already the style of football has improved under Caldwell.

Wigan have scrapped the long ball tactics of the Mackay era and returned to the passing game so successful under Roberto Martinez. Caldwell bought into Martinez’s methods and he will also have learned much from his time as an international captain.

A summer of rebuilding lies ahead as there will be lots of comings and goings. The loan players will return to their parent clubs and Latics will have decisions to make about Oriol Riera, Andy Delort, James Tavernier and Rob Kiernan who are all out on loan at other clubs.

Eight players are out of contract: Ali Al-Habsi, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Kim Bo Kyung, Gaetan Bong, William Kvist, Jermaine Pennant, Lee Nicholls and Emmerson Boyce. Some contracts may be renewed but many players will leave the club.

At least Caldwell knows the playing staff really well, unlike his predecessor, and he should be aware of what will be required for next season. He also has sufficient time to put together a squad capable of getting out of League One.

But whatever happens next season it is certainly never dull watching Latics: in the last three seasons alone we have played at Wembley four times; defied the odds to win the FA Cup; had a Europa League adventure; made the Championship play-offs; and been relegated twice. Few, if any teams, can have experienced such highs and lows in such a short space of time.

This article was first published in the 12th Man column for the Wigan Evening Post on 1st May 2015

Posted in Championship, Gary Caldwell, Malky Mackay, Roberto Martinez, Uwe Rösler, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Latics on the brink – Wigan Athletic 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Posted on April 26, 2015 by ianhaspinall
James Perch

Wigan captain James Perch had a goal disallowed

Wigan Athletic look destined for League One after a 1-0 home defeat to promotion chasing Wolves.

Latics will be relegated for the second time in three seasons if Rotherham avoid losing to Reading on Tuesday night. But if the Millers are beaten, Wigan must win against Brentford on the last day of the season and also hope that other results go their way.

In a must-win fixture Wigan dominated proceedings but fell to a sucker punch mid way through the first half.

A free-kick by Bakary Sako from the left evaded keeper Scott Carson and an unmarked Benik Afobe headed home comfortably at the back post to stun Wigan.

Wigan manager Gary Caldwell made one change to the side which defeated Brighton and Hove Albion last week with Emmerson Boyce replacing Don Cowie.

Latics started on the front foot and created a great opportunity after seven minutes; when James McClean fought his way into the box but smashed the ball into the side netting.

Latics were pushing Wolves back early on and were competing for every ball. Jermaine Pennant nearly got on the score sheet when he forced a mistake from Jack Price before forcing a good save from Tomasz Kuszczak.

Wigan looked the most likely to take the lead, but it was Wolves who went in front with their first attempt at goal.

Emmerson Boyce went for a 50/50 challenge with Scott Golbourne down the left hand side and was adjudged to have committed a foul.

From the resulting free-kick Sako crossed the ball to the back post and a trio of Wolves attackers were left unmarked and Wolves top scorer Afobe headed home.

It was a brutal set back for Wigan, for the next ten minutes they struggled to find any rhythm.

But just before half time Wigan might have drawn level when Boyce latched onto McClean’s cut back but he fired over the bar from the edge of the area.

Latics continued to press in the second half but Wolves were resolute and determined to secure the three points to stay in the promotion hunt.

Jason Pearce broke forward early in the half and set up McClean down the left, but the Irishman could only toe poke the ball over the bar.

As the half wore on Wolves grew in confidence and they might have been further ahead on 68 minutes when Dave Edwards forced a world-class save from Scott Carson to keep the scores level.

Gary Caldwell threw on strikers Marc-Antoine Fortune and Billy Mckay in an attempt to force an equaliser.

With fifteen minutes remaining McKay had his shot blocked by James Perch before the Wigan captain was able to turn the ball over the line, but unfortunately the linesman flagged for offside.

Latics kept pushing until the final whistle, but as throughout most of the season they lacked any cutting edge in the final third.

In injury time McClean clashed with Richard Stearman and was sent off for a second bookable offence, which only added to a thoroughly gloomy day for the Latics.

Posted in Benik Afobe, Championship, James McClean, James Perch, Wigan Athletic, Wolves | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

12th Man: Still on tenterhooks

Posted on April 23, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Gary Caldwell, Wigan Athletic

Wigan manager Gary Caldwell

Wigan’s survival hopes are hanging by a thread as we await news of Rotherham United’s punishment from the Football League for fielding an ineligible player.

The outcome of the disciplinary panel is likely to decide whether Latics have a realistic chance of survival in the Championship.

A three points deduction for Rotherham could make all the difference to the last two games of the season.

A Wigan win at home to Wolves on Saturday could then take it to the last game of the season at Brentford, when another victory might be enough to pull off a miraculous escape from relegation.

Wigan and Millwall have two games left, while the Millers have three – home fixtures against Norwich City and Reading respectively on Saturday and next Tuesday and then the final-day clash at Leeds on May 2nd.

The Football League said a football disciplinary commission would hear the case at the “earliest possible opportunity” and before the end of the season.

Surely the fairest way forward would be to make a decision on the points deduction before Saturday’s fixtures so that everyone knows what they have to play for.

If Rotherham are given a three-point deduction, they would still have a two-point advantage over Wigan and one point over Millwall, but the pressure on them would be massively increased.

Even if the points deduction does come into effect, Wolves will present stern opposition, as they will be striving to make it into the play-offs. They are currently three points behind sixth placed Ipswich with six points still to play for.

Wolves manager Kenny Jackett has done an excellent job in getting a newly promoted team challenging for promotion.

They have a potent strike force with Benik Afobe, Bakary Sako and former Latic Nouha Dicko having scored 40 League goals between them. Which happens to be more than Wigan have scored in total this season.

It could be a nervy encounter with both teams desperate to get the three points that will prolong their season. It would be a significant achievement for Wigan under new manager Gary Caldwell to record back-to-back wins at this crucial time.

Latics should never have been in such a perilous position at this stage in the season, but due to some bad management appointments, the club now finds itself on the verge of the third tier of English football.

But whatever happens this weekend the fans must continue to keep the faith and believe that the future will be brighter under Gary Caldwell.

This article was first published in the 12th Man column for the Wigan Evening Post on 24th April 2015

Posted in Brentford, Championship, Gary Caldwell, Millwall, Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic, Wolves | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video – A history of Wigan Athletic ‘Defying the Odds’

Posted on April 21, 2015 by ianhaspinall

The club produced an excellent motivational video prior to last weekend’s home victory against Brighton and Hove Albion. The video provides some of the highlights in the club’s history and shows how we have consistently defied the odds and overcome adversity.

It’s a great watch for all Latics fans. Enjoy!

Posted in Autowindscreens Trophy, Championship, Dave Whelan, Europa League, FA Cup, Freight Rover Trophy, Premier League, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wigan fight on after first home win since August – Wigan Athletic 2 Brighton 1

Posted on April 19, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Tim Chow Wigan Athletic

Wigan born Tim Chow on target on his home debut

Latics kept their slim hopes of Championship survival alive with a 2-1 victory against Brighton and Hove Albion at the DW Stadium.

Wigan had not won at home in 18 fixtures and defeat to fellow strugglers Brighton would have condemned them to a second relegation in only three seasons.

Wigan born Tim Chow gave Latics the lead on his home debut after 26 minutes but Dale Stephens equalised on 55 minutes.

Both teams wasted some golden opportunities to win the game before substitute Marc- Antoine Fortune’s deflected cross was bundled over the line by James Perch to give Wigan a lifeline.

New manager Gary Caldwell made two changes to the side which lost at Millwall on Tuesday night with Billinge born Tim Chow making his home debut in midfield alongside Don Cowie, who came into the team in place of Emmerson Boyce and Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Latics started tentatively and the visitors were nearly ahead in the opening minutes when Craig Mackail-Smith found space down the right and his low shot at the near post forced a good save from Scott Carson.

Wigan gradually gained a foothold in the game with Chow making some good challenges in midfield.

The home team started to dominate possession and they went ahead on 26 minutes when Chow met Jermaine Pennant’s cross from the right to head past David Stockdale from six yards out.

William Kvist then tried his luck from distance as Latics were now well on top.

James McClean should have doubled Wigan’s lead just before the interval when he was clean through on goal but Stockdale somehow managed to get his feet to the ball to deny the Republic of Ireland international.

Wigan started the second half sluggishly and Brighton were soon level when the unmarked Dale Stephens volleyed home Danny Holla’s corner from eight yards out.

The visitors nearly went ahead a few minutes later when Kazenga LuaLua broke clear but the winger fired his effort just wide of Carson’s post.

The contest was now wide open as both teams went for the vital winner.

Latics were denied a Stonewall penalty when Greg Halford pulled back Fortune in the area but referee Keith Hill incredibly waved away the Latics players’ appeals.

Wigan then had a great opportunity when James McClean cut the ball back to Kim Bo-Kyung but the South Korean’s side footed effort only found the side netting.

Wigan’s survival hopes were now hanging by a thread, but with nine minutes remaining they got the all important winner.

Fortune’s cross was deflected goal-wards by Dale Stephens and after Stockdale had fumbled, Perch was on hand to get the ball over the line.

There a was huge relief around the DW Stadium as Wigan hung on to record a rare home victory to keep their season alive.

Posted in Brighton & Hove Albion, Championship, Dale Stephens, James Perch, Tim Chow, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

12th Man: Latics reach rock bottom

Posted on April 16, 2015 by ianhaspinall
Martyn Waghorn

Martyn Waghorn was red carded for retaliation at Millwall

In a season of low points Latics reached their lowest point on Tuesday night when relegation was all but confirmed at Millwall. In a must-win fixture Wigan succumbed by naïvely falling into the Lions well-rehearsed trap.

The home team set out with a game plan to intimidate Latics with some tough tackling and off the ball aggravation and the strategy paid dividends as first Martyn Waghorn and later Jason Pearce were sent off.

Wigan were denied the opportunity to play their football, and due to some weak officiating by referee Steve Martin, Millwall were allowed to profit from their dirty tactics.

A fixture at the Den is a notoriously difficult one and the Latics players should have been well aware that the Lions would try absolutely anything to win the game.

The players should have been well-drilled not to react to their opponents’ intimidation but Latics players got involved in the scuffles and this distracted them from the task in hand and ultimately led to their downfall.

Gary Caldwell rightly identified the problem after the game:

“When the pressure comes in stadiums like this and the crowd wants to get behind their team then we have to be brave – not in the sense of being willing to fight people – but be brave on the ball and control the game and, at times when the crowd got behind them and their players got up for it, we didn’t do that.”

“We controlled the game in the first-half, we had five minutes where they wanted to fight and we got sucked into that.”

The manager also identified Wigan’s failure to take their chances on the night, although this has been their downfall all season. Marc-Antoine Fortune, Jason Pearce and Gaetan Bong all missed excellent goal scoring opportunities prior to Millwall’s opening goal.

In fact since the departure of Roberto Martinez as manager, player recruitment has been generally poor and as far as Strikers is concerned, disastrous.

Marc- Antoine Fortune, Grant Holt, Andy Delort, Oriol Riera, Martyn Waghorn, Billy Mckay and Leon Clarke (loan) have been recruited by the last three managers but they have only contributed a handful of goals among the lot of them.

There will be a massive turnover in playing staff at the end of the season and recruiting the right type of player will be paramount to any future success.

But top of the shopping list must be a striker who can guarantee twenty goals if Latics are to have any hope of a quick return to the Championship.

This article was first published in the 12th Man column for the Wigan Evening Post on 17th April 2015

Posted in Championship, Gary Caldwell, Jason Pearce, Martyn Waghorn, Millwall, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Latics on the precipice after defeat at the Den – Millwall 2 Wigan Athletic 0

Posted on April 15, 2015 by ianhaspinall
MIllwall The Den

Millwall’s the Den. Photograph by Billy Batty

Latics survival chances are now poised on a precipice after they lost 2-0 at Millwall last night.

Wigan had Martyn Waghorn and Jason Pearce and Millwall had Ed Upson sent off in a bad-tempered encounter.

Millwall set out with a game plan to intimidate Latics with some tough tackling and off the ball aggravation and the strategy paid dividends in the second half when Waghorn reacted to a scuffle in the penalty box and was red carded.

Millwall took the lead on 74 minutes when Nadjim Abdou headed home Dan Harding’s cross before Pearce and Upson were both dismissed following an altercation by the by-line.

A late strike by Magaye Gueye sealed the three points and condemned Wigan to almost certain relegation whilst giving Millwall a slim lifeline with which to rescue their Championship status.

New manager Gary Caldwell selected the same starting eleven from the draw at Fulham on Friday night.

With so much riding on the game neither team gained control in the opening exchanges.

Millwall nearly went ahead 18 minutes following a mistake by Gaetan Bong. Aiden O’Brien intercepted a pass near the half-way line and broke free from the Wigan defence but Scott Carson intelligently used his foot to clear the danger.

Wigan were now starting to dominate possession but Millwall continued to break up most of Wigan’s promising moves with some petulant fouls. Kim Bo-Kyung in particular was the subject of a succession of kicks and trips by the home team.

Referee Steve Martin struggled to control the game when a few early yellow cards would have allowed Wigan to play their football.

Wigan had a glorious opportunity to take the lead on 27 minutes. Marc-Antoine Fortuné met Bong’s deep cross but his header lacked any conviction and Forde was able to tip over the crossbar.

The challenges continued to fly in and Bong was involved in a flare up with Lee Gregory. Several players joined in and the referee Martin had to separate them. Bong and Gregory both received yellow cards.

Latics should have been ahead just before the interval. Jermaine Pennant’s excellent corner found Pearce in space but the centre-half did not make good contact with his header and the chance was wasted.

Millwall started the second half brightly and O’Brien’s strike forced a superb save from Scott Carson. Wigan manager Gary Caldwell responded by replacing Fortune with Martyn Waghorn.

But Waghorn wasn’t on the pitch for long. The striker chased a long kick forward from Carson, and was involved in a tussle with Cummings as the defender shielded the ball out for a goal kick, after he was bundled over and on the floor Waghorn then appeared to kick out at Dan Harding. The referee showed a red card.

The numerical advantage was now with Millwall but Latics swarmed forward. Kim neatly played in Bong on the left but the full back blasted over the crossbar from only eight yards out.

Against the run of play Millwall went ahead. Gregory broke free on the left, swung in a deep cross and Abdou connected with an unstoppable header past Carson. Latics now had a mountain to climb.

With ten minutes remaining the match descended into chaos. Pearce was shown a straight red card for a foul on O’Brien near the corner flag and Millwall defender Ed Upson was also shown a red for pushing Pearce in the face. A scuffle broke out among the players and referee Martin’s failure to control the game was amply demonstrated.

Despite only having nine men Latics continued to go forward, but once again on the break Millwall struck as Gueye went clear and fired an angled drive past Carson.

The result means Wigan could be relegated on Saturday as they sit seven points from safety with only three games remaining.

Wigan manager Gary Caldwell accurately summed up the game afterwards when speaking to the press.

“In the first half there was one team trying to play football and one team out to rough us up.
“We let that affect us and the referee didn’t control it at that time, and the game got out of hand in the second half.”

Posted in Ed Upson, Jason Pearce, Magaye Gueye, Martyn Waghorn, Millwall, Nadjim Abdou, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment