Memries of Wigan

[grafikhaus]

Although founded in 1932, Wigan didn’t achieve League status until 1978. Originally playing their home games at Springfield Park for the 1999-2000 season, they switched to their current home, The DW Stadium (formerly JJB Stadium) which has a capacity of 25,138.

The stadium is named after their chairman and benefactor, Dave Whelan. Whelan joined the club in 1995 and The Latics saw a mercurial rise through the leagues, eventually getting to The Premier League in 2005. Despite some incredible late escapes, Wigan stayed in the top tier for eight years, until the 2012-13 season when they were relegated yet still won the FA Cup, beating Manchester City 1-0. In their Premier League spell, Wigan employed Paul Jewell, Chris Hutchings and Steve Bruce as managers before Whelan’s business interests in Spain eventually persuaded Roberto Martinez to become Wigan manager prior to the 2009-10 season. Shortly after the 2013 relegation from the Premier League, Martinez left to join Everton on a 4-year deal.

Our full record v Wigan:

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To date, our League results against Wigan Athletic read:

Home: P: 8 W: 3 D: 2 L: 3 F: 9 A: 10

Away: P: 8 W: 3 D: 2 L: 3 F: 10 A: 15

Of course, the most memorable of our (few) encounters came on 13th May, 2007 on the last day of the Premier League season. With both Charlton and Watford already relegated, third-bottom United met fourth-bottom Wigan on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon at Bramall Lane in front of 32,604 in what was to prove the Blades’ last Premiership match. For some reason, the YouTube 'highlights' video is unavailable.

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On 12th January 2016, we met in Division One at Wigan. 0-3 down, the Blades fought back with goals from Sharp and Done (2)

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The last time we met, Wigan won 0-2 at Bramall Lane in Division One on 6th February 2016. United were having an atrocious season under an atrocious manager – Nigel Adkins – and would finish the season in 11th place in the third tier.

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Finally, we met Wigan at Bramall Lane on 22nd October 1988 in the Third Division. Our manager was Dave Bassett, we would win promotion that season and the crowd was…11,763.

A terrible quality vid. but worth watching to see how depressing our ground was. Also, on 2m 13secs. – ‘…it’s Wilder…to Agana…’ We won this game 2-1 with goals from Deane and Webster.

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Championship Table

A loss at Millwall on Tuesday night meant that Wigan have slipped to 12th position.

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Full Championship Table

Form Guide:

Despite dropping five points from the last six, United remain in third place in the overall form guide – based on the last six league games. We’re unbeaten at home since the opening-day loss to Swansea on August 4th and are fourth in the ‘home form’ table.

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Since their stunning 3-0 win at Stoke on August 22nd, Wigan’s last five away games have saw them lose all five, with their only goal coming from an o.g. at Millwall last Tuesday. Wigan are 19th in the ‘away form’ table.

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Full Championship Form Guide

Top Scorers:

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The Manager:

Much-travelled Paul Cook has had success with Chesterfield (League Two title in 2013-14), Portsmouth (League Two title in 2016-17) and Wigan (League One title 2017-18) and currently has a Win% of 56.8 while at Wigan.

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[Cerberus Blade]

Excellent review that grafikhaus, as usual.

I remember going to Wigan when we played them in the old 4th division. That was when they were at Springfield Park. I remember arriving in Wigan and seeing the floodlights, parking up, and finding myself in the wrong place. I'd gone to the rugby ground! We were directed towards Springfield Park - and what a place that was! I stood on a grass bank behind the goal watching the game! I can't remember much about the game but I think we won. I know Edwards was playing and I think he scored.

I remember a night match, may have been the same season, at Bramall Lane. We were going for promotion, so were Wigan. They had Larry Lloyd, the ex-Liverpool centre half (and a good player btw) in their side. He was coming to the end of his career and I was on the kop and we were singing, "You Fat Bastard" to him every time he got the ball. At one point he bent over and pulled down his shorts and showed his arse to the kop! It was funny! Although of course, it "outraged" some of the Shoreham following, because they were all such jolly decent chaps and easily offended by such antics.

I remember the relegation game that you mention above. I was pretty disappointed when I got home that day. My 6 year old kid came and put his arm around me when I got home and said to me, "are you upset Dad?" I remember being touched by that little gesture. And I said to him..."it's only football". You have to learn to take the rough with the smooth sometimes.

Despite Wigan's inexorable rise to the top of English football I still find it very hard to take them seriously as a football club. To me, Wigan is all about rugby and Eddie Waring. It's about Uncle Joe's Mint Balls and pies. It's about George Orwell as well, and his grim portrayal of Northern life in his wonderful book, "The Road to Wigan Pier". I don't care what division they are in, or what they might win, but they'll never be a football club like Sheffield United. Never.

And in that sense, I hope we show them where our fatha used to work when we play them on saturday.

 

[Superblades]

13th May 2007 - what an awful day. Unsworth pen, Danny Webber hitting the post and deciding to celebrate instead of the follow the ball in. If only!

 

[Cerberus Blade]

13th May 2007 - what an awful day. Unsworth pen, Danny Webber hitting the post and deciding to celebrate instead of the follow the ball in. If only!

When we get relegated, we do it in style eh? Bit like the relegation to the old 4th division. Similar thing. Last match of the season at home. We only need a draw. We concede a few minutes from the end of the game to Walsall and look like we are staring into the abyss. Then, we get a penalty! Oh Joy of Joys! "We only have to stick this one in and we're safe. There won't be enough time after that for Walsall to do anything about it". Up steps Don Givens...oh dear!

Bit like the relegation out of the Prem first time around. At quarter to 5 on the last day of the season we were drawing with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and are 6th from the bottom of the Prem. All looking good then! 5 minutes later we'd lost to Chelsea and every bugger else had won, or summat, and we were down!

And last time we got relegated from the Prem? On goal difference to a team that had fielded an illegal player and somehow beat Man Utd at Old Trafford on the last day of the season.

I'm actually coming to think of it like a special talent that we have. It makes me feel better to do that.

 

[PaulHalfway]

Plus all the play off final defeats, semi final defeats and the relegation play off defeat to Bristol, so many times it’s gone wrong on the big occasions, could have all been so different in the last 20 years

 

[coaxingstar71]

Tony Kenworthy free-kick won the game at their place in the 4th div. Last minute Edwards winner in the home game at Bramall Lane in the same season.

I went to Wigan for the 3-3 draw a couple of seasons ago. We could have been 6 or 7-0 down by the time we decided to 'play a bit' with about 20 minutes to go, mainly down to George Long making a string of good saves (who knew eh?). Sharp missed a good chance to make it 4-3 in the last minute too.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

Losing 4-0 a few years back at their place was a bummer. That’s when they had Roberts and Ellington taking the piss upfront

 

[pesch the mini genius]

Remember Hulse scoring the winner at their shite hole in the Prem , sure that was the game morgs had a massive shinner and just shrugged it off when asked about it in the interview after the match , just basically said 'that's football !'

The return game was horrible , the whole match we seemed out of sorts whilst they were far more up for it , you did feel we were fu##ed the minute Unsworth scored that penalty -
also pissing down rain and cold on the last game in may when always usually bright sunshine ! has that ever happened since or before ?! just seemed completely weird- of course the rain would stay with us allot of that summer and floods galore
Stead scored a excellent, very brave header - always liked Stead as a player

 

[Beans]

Remember Hulse scoring the winner at their shite hole in the Prem , sure that was the game morgs had a massive shinner and just shrugged it off when asked about it in the interview after the match , just basically said 'that's football !'

Lee McCulloch nailed him with an elbow that somehow escaped the ref's attention... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6187687.stm

 

[Houston_Blade]

Looking at their recent form they lost their last game so will win or draw the next one.

 

[Sheffsteel]

I went to the home game in 1982 in the 4th division and my memories of that game were

1: Night match, cold but a really big game with both us and Wigan sitting in the top positions in the league.

2: On the night Wigan played in the old Wednesday kit of blue and white striped shirts, blue shorts, white socks. Their manager was Ex Forest defender Larry Lloyd, a big Scouser with a big Jimmy Bullard type personality.

2: We were generally getting 15,000 at that time but as it was billed as the match of the season, the attendance was over 22,000 with a good away following from Wigan, probably 2000. It’s important to know that attendances were really low in the 80’s, many top flight clubs struggled to get over 22,000 for their matches. So for a 4th division club to get over 20K for really impressive.

3: It was a boring match with hardly any chances for either team. The highlight of the whole match was Larry Lloyd (their central defender player manager) getting loads of stick from the Kop, at one bit he gestured to the Kop with a big smile and pulled down his shorts to do a quick moony.

4: The match was heading for a 0-0, no team looked like scoring, so I left early which I rarely ever did, about 3 minutes from time.
As I got to Shoreham Street, heard a massive roar, started asking people if we’d scored and was told Edwards had popped up with a last minute winner.

 

[JJ Sefton]

12:00...

 

[Silent Blade]

I wasn't at the match but can anyone remember this?

Matthew Bell wrote in Shred's obituary about that Wigan game (it was in February 1984 when we lost 3-0) when Shred banged on the roof of the dugout telling Porterfield what he thought about our display.

 

[derryblade]

Remember the 2004 game Nathan Ellington and Jason Roberts ran us ragged, out muscled, out paced and out thought, deserved nothing.

 

[Wapping Blade]

I wasn't at the match but can anyone remember this?

Matthew Bell wrote in Shred's obituary about that Wigan game (it was in February 1984 when we lost 3-0) when Shred banged on the roof of the dugout telling Porterfield what he thought about our display.

Yes, we were there. We knew Shred from seeing him at many away games but didn’t know who he was and he definitely did it.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Remember the 4th Division games well even all these years on , saw floodlights and thought we’d found Springfield Pk only to realise it was the fucking egg chasers ground and we were miles away.
The 1-0 win at the lane on a Tues night at time was biggest crowd of season , think only bettered by Bradford and Peterborough last game

 

[Cheets]

I was in the south stand for the 1-0 victory in 1982 with Keith Edwards' last minute winner. After the final whistle a load of United fans invaded the away end from the Cherry Street end and charged towards the Wigan fans. Can't remember it being mentioned even on the local media as if it was no big deal in those days.