Wigan search for little bit of fortune in front of goal

Posted: March 3, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

If results went their way this weekend, Wigan Athletic could climb four places in the Premier League table and off the bottom for the first time since January.

Unless out-of-form Aston Villa or Wigan’s oppostion today at the DW Stadium, Swansea City are to continue their poor runs of late, then it appears the three teams who will face relegation come the end of the season will be made up of the current bottom five.

Roberto Martinez’s side have the worst goal difference and the fewest number of wins at home and overall, although it is so tight at the bottom right now, that could all change this weekend. At home they have conceded twice as many times as they have scored. But they are unbeaten in their last three games with five home games remaining after today against West Brom, Stoke, Manchester United, Newcastle, and Terry Connor’s Wolves on the final day.

Since their 3-3 draw with Blackburn in November, Wigan at home have scored one goal every other home, while striker Franco Di Santo, in his second season with the club, hasn’t scored since November 26th. With the likes of Jean Beausejour, Victor Moses and Albert Crusat around the young Argentine in the team, his goals would be crucial in helping steer Wigan towards Premier League survival for another season.

Catastrophe for Bolton as local rivals triumph

Posted: February 12, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Bolton Wanderers, English Premier League, Wigan Athletic | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Wigan Athletic earned three extremely valuable points yesterday as Bolton Wanderers suffered a ninth league defeat at the Reebok Stadium this season.

The deadlock was broken by Wigan near the end of the first half when Gary Caldwell rose above Bolton defender David Wheater to powerfully head home Jean Beausejour’s corner. The home side managed to level the scoreline after the break, but for little more than five minutes because Victor Moses set up James McArthur who fired the visitors back in front.

Afterwards Bolton manager Owen Coyle remained emphatic in his belief they would get out of their current predicament and avoid relegation. Mark Davies, who scored Bolton’s goal, after a lucky deflection off a teammate teed him up, said: “It was three points we needed and it cancels out some good results in the last few weeks, and that’s the most disappointing thing.”

Can Bolton and Blackburn enjoy a big weekend at the bottom?

Posted: February 10, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, English Premier League, Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic | Tags: , | Leave a comment

The fight for Premier League survival doesn’t get much better when, in February with 15 games still remaining, the bottom six all literally go up against each other.

Tomorrow’s fixtures offer both Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers their chance to climb out of the danger zone temporarily, while Wigan Athletic, desperate to avoid defeat after last weekend’s point at home, go to neighbours Bolton, who have recently sorted out their home form and only lost at Manchester United and Norwich since Boxing Day.

If Wigan’s six points from as many games in December showed that things were improving for them, the New Year couldn’t really have got off to a much worse start – four straight league defeats and a third round FA Cup exit against lower league opposition. Their result last Saturday surely has to signal the start of a run of good form for the Latics – who signed Jean Beausejour from Birmingham in recent weeks – otherwise they might have to start preparing early for life in the Championship next season.

With a wealth of recent new signings to potentially boost their own survival chances, QPR are just the one win better off compared to their hosts tomorrow. They will be keen not to concede that three point advantage at 19th placed Blackburn, one of new manager Mark Hughes’ former clubs. Given the home side only has a trip to Manchester City to look forward to between tomorrow and the start of March, you can perhaps appreciate the pressure that Rovers will face, especially with a home support so against their own man in charge Steve Kean.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s derby at Molineux is bound to be a tense, lunchtime Midlands affair.