Your big preview for our DW trip…
Royals fans will making their first trip to the DW Stadium since 2019 this weekend as we face Wigan Athletic.
The match with the Latics on, Saturday 17th September, 3pm kick off, will see take on the last of the promoted teams as Paul Ince’s men look to achieve a second win in three away from home comforts.
So as we look ahead to the fixture, here is your big preview with all you need to know…
Tickets
Wigan Athletic have confirmed that tickets will be avaliable on the day, cash only, with no price increase.
| Category | Price |
| Adult | £23 |
| 65 & Over | £16 |
| 18 to 21 | £16 |
| 12 to 17 | £10 |
| 11 & Under | £5 |
ROYALSTV
A reminder that our Season and Monthly subscriptions are available for RoyalsTV – fans in the UK/Ireland can get hold of Audio packages (£4.49 per calendar month, or £45 for the remainder of the season), while overseas supporters can get Video packages which cover eligible Sky Bet Championship fixtures (£25 per calendar month, or £170 for the entire season).
Additionally, the following Match Passes are available for this fixture against Wigan Athletic:
- Audio Match Pass (£2.50) | Worldwide
- Video Match Pass (£10) | Not UK or Ireland
See our available subscriptions
Travel
The nearest railway station is Wigan North Western, which served by long distance services, and is a 25 minute walk.
If you are driving to the match this weekend, then the stadium post code is WN5 0UZ.
The opposition
Wigan Athletic were founded in 1932 and despite winning ten non-league titles, they did not join the Football League until 1978.
It took only four seasons for the North West side to achieve promotion to the third tier, after a third place finish in 1982. Three years later saw the club reach Wembley for what is now the EFL Trophy final where they defeated Brentford 3-1.
The two following campaigns saw the club finish fourth twice, to just miss out on promotion, and their eleven year stay in the third tier ended in 1993.
Dave Whelan purchased the club in 1995 and they were promoted two years later, thanks to a 31-goal haul from Graeme Jones with a certain Roberto Martinez also in the side.
After 102 years as a football ground, which predated the club, Springfield Park closed its doors for the final time in 1999. However, Wigan were able to mark this landmark season with silverware as the EFL Trophy was won thanks to an injury time strike Paul Rogers against Millwall.
The Latics were centurions in 2003 as they reached the second tier for the first time with an 100 point haul securing the title.
2003-04 saw Paul Jewell’s team finish one point ahead of Reading and just one place short of the Play-Offs. The following season proved the next stage of the fairy tale as a second place finish earned the Latics their first shot at the top flight.
They opened their first Premier League campaign with two 1-0 defeats before a run of 25 points from 27 took them to second in the league! That phenomenal run of form came to an end with five successive defeats to what would be the top five come the end of the season, but a 10th place finish exceeded expectations.
Jewell’s side also reached their first major cup final in 2006 when a late Jason Roberts goal at Highbury against Arsenal sent the team to Wembley however they were beaten 4-0 by Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium.
The next season wasn’t as successful with a final day win at Sheffield United ensuring the Latics stayed up and the Blades went down with Jewell resigning the next day to be replaced by Chris Hutchings.
He was replaced after 12 matches by the returning Steve Bruce, who had been in charge for the Latics’ Play-Off semi-final matches against the Royals six years earlier.
Bruce departed for a second time in 2009 to join Sunderland and was replaced by former midfielder Roberto Martinez.
The club became known for late escapes from relegation, only escaping the bottom three on the final day in 2011 before seven wins from the final nine matches were required to beat the drop in 2012 that included victories against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.
The following season was the last of their eight seasons in the top flight however not before the greatest day in the club’s history in May 2013.
Martinez’s team took on the previous season’s Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup Final and shocked the world by defeating them 1-0 thanks to Ben Watson heading home a corner in injury time.
With the Spaniard’s departure, Owen Coyle took the reins but he was replaced in December by former Manchester City striker Uwe Rosler. Courtesy of their cup triumph the club competed in the UEFA Europa League but despite finishing bottom their hopes of reaching the knock out stage was only extinguished after the final match day.
Another memorable cup run occurred with Manchester City beaten once again as they advanced to the semi-final only for their hopes to be ended by Arsenal on penalties.
In a season that spanned 62 matches, the Latics just ran out of steam come May where they were defeated in the Play-Off semi-finals by Queens Park Rangers.
The next season proved a disaster as three managers oversaw their return to the third tier for the first time in 12 years however former skipper Gary Caldwell delivered an immediate return thanks to a 25 goal contribution from Will Grigg.
The forward’s struggle for goals was a factor in their relegation in 2017 but his 19 strikes secured a second League One title in three years for the club.
Paul Cook managed to end temporarily end the yo-yoing with an 18th place finish but after the club was put into administration in suspicious circumstances in 2020, the 12 point penalty that came with such a decision saw the club relegated on the final day, two points from safety.
Leam Richardson prepared for the 2020-21 season in caretaker charge however the first two months of the campaign saw John Sheridan take the reins but after the former Ireland midfielder’s departure, Richardson took control and secured survival by a point.
An incredible turnaround saw Richardson guide the Latics to the League One title last season and they have started well on their return to the second tier with only one defeat, albeit a 5-1 humbling at home to Burnley.
They are yet to secure a win on home soil however, winning their last three away matches against Birmingham City, Luton Town and Huddersfield Town with Will Keane top scorer with three.
One to watch: Max Power
Birkenhead born Max Power rejoined Wigan in the summer of 2021 after a three year spell with Sunderland and has been an ever present so far in this Championship campaign.
He began his career with local side Tranmere Rovers at the age of eight and went on gto captain every age group, including the first team, after he made his senior bow in a EFL Trophy encounter with Port Vale in August 2011.
A further five appearances followed before he became a regular in the side in 2012/13, getting off the mark with the third in a 3-0 FA Cup win at Braintree Town, as he helped the Prenton Park based club finish in the top half of League One.
What followed was a difficult two seasons for the club however as the Wirral side suffered successive relegations, with Power top scoring with seven as they slipped out the Football League in 2015.
That summer he joined Wigan for his first spell and missed only four matches as he played a crucial role in helping the Latics secure the League One title that season.
At his first season at Championship level, Power played 42 times in 2016/17 however they fell short in their quest for survival, with the team collecting 42 points, nine short of safety.
Power once again excelled in the third tier and in that December he scored in back to back matches as they beat AFC Wimbledon 4-0 before a 7-0 hammering of Oxford United, where Power grabbed two, showed Paul Cook’s side’s title credentials as they ended with an eventual points tally of 98!
Despite the Latics returning to the Championship, Power joined recently relegated Sunderland initially on loan in August 2018, as he aimed to add another promotion from League One to his CV.
It was an eventful start to the life on Wearside for the midfielder, with him scoring twice before August was out, however he had also seen three reds by the end of November.
Having signed permanently in the January, Power helped the Black Cats to two Wembley appearances that year however both ended in defeat, to Portsmouth in the EFL Trophy and to Charlton Athletic in the Play-Off final, the latter with Power withdrawn through injury only nine minutes into the game.
The following season saw Power net three times. Including an impressive long range strike at Sheffield United to knock the then Premier League side out of the League Cup, however the Wearsiders, now managed by former Reading captain Phil Parkinson, missed out on the Play-Offs following the curtailing of the campaign due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
His final season on Wearside saw him break the 50 appearance mark for a season for only the second time in his career, with his versatility proving a big asset to Lee Johnson’s team’s injury woes as he began a run of matches at right back.
Power finally got his hands on the EFL Trophy after he captained the North East side to victory over his former club Tranmere Rovers at Wembley however there was once again Play-Off heartbreak with his 137th and final match for the club being the second leg of a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Lincoln City in the semi-finals.
2021 saw Power return to the North West to rejoin Wigan, with him making his second debut for the club in a 2-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
54 matches later and on the final day of the season, a 3-0 win at Shrewsbury Town secured a third League One winner’s medal for Power as the DW Stadium based side returned to the second tier after a two year absence.
The now 29-year-old has played eight matches this season, collecting three yellows, as he looks to achieve something he is yet to do in his career, play successive seasons in the Championship.
Head to Head
This weekend’s match will be the 49th time the Royals and the Latics have face off, and we will look to draw level in the head to head with it currently 19-18 in the hosts favour.
We were one of the North West sides’ first Football League opponents following their election to the league in 1978, as we secured a 2-0 win at Elm Park in the Fourth Division.
The two teams met in the third tier Play-Offs in 2001 and after a goalless first leg, a Kevin Nichoolls goal looked like sending Steve Bruce’s side through to Wembley but a late comeback with strikes from Neil Butler and Nicky Forster setting up a final with Walsall.
The clubs have met six times in the Premier League with the Royals securing two home wins in 2007, with Shane Long scoring in a 3-2 win in the January before an injury time strike from James Harper secured the points in the September.
The last time we made the trip to the DW a five minute hat trick from George Puscas in the final eleven minutes saw us come away with the points in November 2019.
Ref Watch
The Football League have confirmed that David Webb will oversee our clash with Leam Richardson’s side, with it being the 15th time he will be in charge of a Royals fixture, and his second this campaign.
Webb has been referring in the Football League since 2008, and was the referee for our opening match of the season at Blackpool in July.
His first Reading match was a 2-0 win at against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough with us recording three further victories on his watch.
The Lancashire based Official has officiated seven matches in 2022-23 so far, in the Championship, League Two and EFL Cup, awarding 18 yellow cards and three red cards.
Webb will be assisted by Shaun Hudson and Matthew Mcgrath whilst Adam Herczeg will act as fourth official.