Wigan v Newcastle

Life in the local leagues

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic F.C. was formed in 1932 following the demise of Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Borough the previous year. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic was the fifth attempt to stabilise a football club in the town following the demise of Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) County, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) United, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Town and the aforementioned Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Borough. Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Borough, was purchased by the club and were elected to the Cheshire County League.

In the early history of Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic, the most notable exploits came in the FA Cup. In the 1934-35 season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) beat Carlisle United 6-1 in the first round, setting a cup record for the biggest victory by a non-league club over a league club, a record which still stands today.

In 1945, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were elected to a different league, the Lancashire Combination, and in 1950 came close to election to the Football League, narrowly losing out to Scunthorpe United on a vote. In the 1953-54 season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in front of a crowd of 27,526, a Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic record and also a record for a match between two non-league teams at a non-league ground. In 1961, the club moved back to the Cheshire County League.

Early league years

In 1968, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were founder members of the Northern Premier League. After 34 failed election attempts, including one controversial but headline-making application in 1972 to join the Scottish League Second Division, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were elected to the Football League in 1978 in place of Southport, who had finished next to bottom of the Fourth Division. Boston United were the Northern Premier League Champions in 1978 but their ground and facilities were deemed unsuitable for the Football League, therefore Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets), as runners-up were put forward for election. In the club's first season of League football, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) finished sixth, and gained their first promotion two years later, prompting a ten year spell in the third tier of English football. The club won its first silverware as a League club in 1985, winning the Freight Rover Trophy.They were beaten in the Northern Final the following season by Bolton Wanderers.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were relegated from the new Division Two in 1993, and a year later finished 19th - fourth from bottom - in Division Three to complete their worst-ever league season. The following season, 1994-95, brought a secure mid-table finish.

Rising through the league

In 1995, local millionaire David Whelan purchased the club, which was then playing in the Third Division (fourth tier), and stated his ambition to take the club to the Premiership, a statement which was widely ridiculed at the time.

The first step towards Whelan's dream came true in 1997 when they won the Division Three title under the management of John Deehan. Deehan's successor Ray Mathias took Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) to the Division Two playoffs in 1999, losing 2-1 on aggregate to neighbours Manchester City after an extremely dubious goal. This ultimately cost Mathias his job as he fell victim to Whelan's relentless drive for Premiership football. His replacement John Benson led the squad he inherited from Mathias to a commanding position at the top of Division Two in his first six months, including the demolition of local rivals Preston North End 4-1 away, only to collapse in the second half of the season and once again fail in the play-offs. This was largely attributed to the dropping of leading goalscorer Stuart Barlow who was responsible for much of the side's early success, which coupled with a series of poor quality signings of ageing, and reputedly highly paid players and a run of poor performances led to strong disapproval of the management among fans. The season ended on a depressing note with Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) losing 3-2 to Gillingham in extra time at the last ever Division Two play-off final to be played at the old Wembley Stadium.

Benson then moved 'upstairs' to the new post of Director of Football, under new manager Bruce Rioch. Rioch was hampered by severe injury problems and after a difficult and often unimpressive first half of the season left the club in February of 2001. He was temporarily replaced by club stalwart Colin Greenall, before the surprise appointment of Steve Bruce in the closing games of the season. His arrival brought renewed vigour to Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) performances, with the club ultimately falling foul once again of the play-offs, this time with Reading. Following this blow, Bruce left for Crystal Palace after repeatedly pledging his future to Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets), leaving behind a club both grateful for his help in getting so close to promotion and also angry and bitter at his betrayal. It came as no great surprise to many Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) fans when he did the same thing again to Palace, choosing to desert to rivals Birmingham.

In 2001, former player Paul Jewell took over as manager, and after a mixed first season, won the Division Two championship in 2002-03 with a points total of 100. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) finished seventh in the 2003-04 Division One campaign - a last minute goal by West Ham's Brian Deane in the final game of the season saw Latics drop out of the play off picture in favour of eventual play off winners Crystal Palace.

In the following season the Latics earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing second in the Coca-Cola Championship, behind Sunderland. May 8, 2005 is now regarded by most fans as the biggest day in the history of Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic. On the final day of the 2004-05 Coca-Cola Championship campaign, the Latics beat Reading 3-1 at home to secure runners-up spot in the final table and a place in the Premiership for 2005-06. At the final whistle the stadium exploded with cheers and the Status Quo song Rockin' All Over the World was played over the PA system.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) in the Premier League

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s preparations for their first season in the top-flight included the signings of Henri Camara, Damien Francis, Ryan Taylor, Josip Skoko, Michael Pollitt, Stephane Henchoz, David Connolly and the return of former captain, Arjan De Zeeuw, to the club. Inevitably, he took up his former role as captain. They also brought in the then unknown Pascal Chimbonda from Bastia for a mere £500,000. Unfortunately, during the summer, star striker Nathan Ellington, whose goals had propelled the club into the Premiership, was in the midst of serious contract negotiations. Despite the club's eagerness to hold onto his services, his overly high demands seemingly were not met. This, along with his well-known striking prowess alerted other clubs. Eventually, West Bromwich Albion triggered the get-out clause in his contract and was sold for a fee of £3,000,001.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s first game in the top flight was a dream come true — a home match against English Champions Chelsea. A game in which they came close to a dream start in the league, but to no avail, falling foul to a 92nd minute winner by Hernán Crespo. After the goal, José Mourinho went as far as to commiserate Paul Jewell on his poor fortune and in his post match interview claimed that Chelsea did not deserve to win.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) are only the fourth English team in the last 20 years to win promotion to the top division for the first time. The most successful debut by any of these teams was that of Wimbledon, who achieved a sixth-place finish in 1987. Millwall debuted at 10th place in 1989 before going down the following year, while Swindon Town and Barnsley were both relegated after just one season among the elite.

By November, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) had surpassed even their own expectations, and sat 2nd in the Premiership, after wins against Everton, Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Fulham and Portsmouth.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s meteoric rise continued on 24 January 2006, when the club secured their first ever place in a major cup final. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) lost on the night to Arsenal 2-1 after extra time but Jason Roberts' last minute strike in extra time secured an away goals victory following their 1-0 first leg semi final victory at the JJB Stadium previously. However, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were defeated 4-0 by Wayne Rooney-inspired neighbours Manchester United on February 26, 2006 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

During the 2005-06 season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic also managed to complete double league wins over Sunderland, neighbours Manchester City and Aston Villa. Notably, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) Athletic took the most league points away from home, and had the most away victories outside the top three clubs. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) failed in their bid for European football and opted not to take part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, yet retained a top ten finish in the Premiership. They brought in Paul Scharner in January to strengthen the side, and he quickly became a fan favourite with his heroic performances. Also, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) right-back Pascal Chimbonda was included in the PFA Team of the Season 2005-06 and was included in France's World Cup 2006 squad. However, this was overshadowed by his transfer request minutes after the last game of the season. He was subsequently sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £5.5 million on August 31, 2006.

During the close season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) sold experienced players such as Jimmy Bullard (to Fulham), Graham Kavanagh (to Sunderland) and Jason Roberts (to Blackburn Rovers), and let Damien Francis and David Connolly leave after a season of disappointing performances and an injury-plagued season respectively. Stephane Henchoz also left after his year-long contract expired. In turn, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) brought in Emile Heskey, Denny Landzaat, Chris Kirkland, Antonio Valencia, Kevin Kilbane, David Cotterill, Fitz Hall and Emmerson Boyce.

After a slow start to the 2006-07 season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s fortunes picked up with four successive victories against Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Fulham and Charlton Athletic. However, the club's form dipped dramatically with eight consecutive losses beginning with a close 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on December 13. The lengthy injury to Henri Camara, along with fellow absentee Paul Scharner further hampered their winter period.

Finally, their slump ended with a 1-0 home victory against Portsmouth, on February 3. This tied in with their January transfer window signings of Caleb Folan, Julius Aghahowa and David Unsworth to help to stabilise the club's Premiership status. On March 4, 2007, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) stood 15th in the Premiership and were in a more comfortable position than in previous weeks, moving eight points clear of Charlton Athletic after key victories over Newcastle United & Manchester City. The club finally seemed to be moving away from the relegation mire at the right time with inspired performances from new front man Caleb Folan and stand-in goalkeeper John Filan. Nevertheless, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) remained in serious danger of relegation after defeats at the hands of Charlton Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and perhaps more pivotally at home against West Ham United. Coupled with the resurgence of rival strugglers Fulham and Sheffield United, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) went into the last game of the season needing to beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

On May 13, the final day of the 2006-07 season, a 10 man Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) team battled and beat their Sheffield opponents 2-1 and thus guaranteeing Premiership status for another year and in doing so relegated Sheffield United to the Championship. After a dominant, fast paced and confident opening, Paul Scharner rifled home Kevin Kilbane's low cross of 14 minutes to put the Latics 1-0 up. However, a recurrence of Arjan De Zeeuw's calf injury forced him off after 30 minutes, and a re-shaped Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) were pegged back on 38 minutes through a Jon Stead header. Yet Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) forced their way back in front in first half injury time. Phil Jagielka handled the ball inside the area while defending a free-kick, and former Blades defender David Unsworth belted home the resulting penalty. McCulloch was sent off in the 74th minute for his second booking which put Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) under immense pressure. However, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) held on for one of the biggest wins in the club's history. On May 14, 2007 Paul Jewell resigned as the manager; his assistant Chris Hutchings was appointed as the new manager later that day.

Hutchings wasted no time in bringing in experienced, well-known players, such as former Newcastle footballers Titus Bramble and Antoine Sibierski, former Rennes player Mario Melchiot, Preston North End keeper Carlo Nash, the much sought after Jason Koumas, Fulham's Michael Brown, while Andreas Granqvist signed on permanently and Antonio Valencia extended his loan for another season. This poured water over Paul Jewell's argument that such players would not consider Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets).^{[citation needed]}. However, to allow more players into the squad, some players had to leave. This included Arjan De Zeeuw, who joined Coventry City, Matt Jackson, who signed for Watford, David Unsworth (released), John Filan (released) and former favourite, Lee McCulloch, who finally sealed his dream move to Rangers. Another fan favourite, Leighton Baines, who had already turned down a move to newly promoted Sunderland, rejected a new contract at the club, and eventually signed for his boyhood team Everton. Melchiot was installed as the new club captain following the wholesale changes.

For the 2007/08 season, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s home shirt returned to blue and white stripes, having been blue with white sleeves in 2006/07. The away shirt became white with a black trim, incorporating black shorts and black socks. They also introduced a third kit; dark blue with a royal blue trim.

Final changes to the squad took place before the Transfer Deadline. This saw Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) sign much travelled striker Marcus Bent on loan and winger Rachid Bouaouzan for £300,000. At the same time, Henri Camara left to go on loan to West Ham United, while Caleb Folan signed for Hull City for £1 million. Cameroonian left-back Salomon Olembé was brought in as a free agent on September 4.

The season began with a spirited, yet disappointing 2-1 defeat away at Everton, but this was followed by consecutive home victories: 1-0 against Middlesbrough and 3-0 against Sunderland. This led to Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) topping the Premier League for the first time in their history. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s start had seen their new signings gel quickly, with Andreas Granqvist and Titus Bramble forming a sold partnership in the defence, captain Mario Melchiot leading by example, Jason Koumas adding a new creative dimension to the midfield and Antoine Sibierski scoring in each of the first 3 games. Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) drew 1-1 away at West Ham before losing 1-0 away at Newcastle in their next game. Wanting to emulate their successful Football League Cup run from 2006, Chris Hutchings aimed to win the trophy this time around, only to see Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) fail at the first hurdle, losing 1-0 at home to Hull City.

Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s improved start to the season saw Emile Heskey recalled to the England Squad for the first time since 2005.

Sadly Emile Heskey, immediately after his England call-up, broke his foot in his next game for his club, September 15, 2007, without touching the ball. He was out injured for 6 weeks. This had a detrimental effect on the team, as the club's league position worsened. After a 1-1 draw at home with Fulham, Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) lost successive games to Reading, Liverpool, 4-0 away to Manchester United, Portsmouth, Birmingham - after leading twice only to lose 3-2, and Chelsea 2-0.

On 5 November 2007 Manager Chris Hutchings was sacked after Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) slipped into the relegation zone. Frank Barlow, his assistant, was made Caretaker Manager, but Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets)'s fortunes did not get better, losing 4-0 away to Tottenham.

On November 19, it was announced that Steve Bruce, who had just resigned as Birmingham City manager, had accepted a £2m-a-year deal to succeed Hutchings and attempt to keep Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) in the Premier League. It is reported that Wigan(Click here to buy Wigan tickets) had to pay £3 million in compensation to Birmingham for Bruce's services

In November 1881, the Stanley Cricket Club of south Byker decided to form an association football club, to play during the winter after the cricket season had ended. Just under a year later, in October 1882, they changed their name to Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) East End FC to avoid confusion with the cricket club in the town of Stanley, County Durham. Meanwhile, across the city, another cricket club began to take an interest in football and in August 1882, they formed Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) West End FC. West End played their early football on their cricket pitch, but later moved to St James' Park. East End turned professional in 1889. West End, however, did not fare so well; in Spring 1892 they approached East End with a view to a takeover, the directors having decided that the club could no longer continue due to financial problems. Ultimately, it was agreed that West End's players and most of its backroom staff would join East End. East End also took over the lease on St. James' Park, which effectively merged the two rival clubs together. By December 1892, they decided to give the club a new name and a new image. At a public meeting, several new names, including Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) Rangers and Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) City, were suggested, before all agreed on Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) United.

Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) United went on to lift the League Championship on three occasions during the 1900s; 1905, 1907 and 1909. The club's success continued in cup competitions, as they reached five FA Cup Finals in seven years, appearing in the final of 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910 and 1911. However they went on to win just one of them, the 1910 Final against Barnsley, in a replay at Goodison Park. However, there was still one particular low point during this period, as the team suffered a 9–1 defeat by fierce rivals Sunderland in the 1908–09 season. Sunderland still count the result as their record highest win.

After World War I, they won the League a fourth time during 1927. The team returned to the FA Cup final in 1924, in only their second ever final at Wembley Stadium. They were successful in defeating Aston Villa and therefore winning the club's second FA Cup trophy in its history. Notable players during this period include the likes of Hughie Gallacher, Neil Harris, Stan Seymour and Frank Hudspeth.

During the 1950s, United lifted the FA Cup trophy on three occasions within a five year period. In 1951 they defeated Blackpool 2–0, a year later Arsenal were beaten 1–0 and in 1955 United defeated Manchester City 3–1. The Magpies had gained a high profile, and so had their players; 'Wor Jackie' Milburn and Bobby 'Dazzler' Mitchell in particular.

An old war horse returned to revitalise the Magpies in the shape of Joe Harvey, who had skippered the club to much of their post-war

success. He teamed up with Stan Seymour to rebuild Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) United and they returned to the elite as Second Division Champions in 1965. Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) then became very much an unpredictable and inconsistent side, always capable of defeating the best, but never quite realising their potential.

Joe Harvey's side qualified for Europe for the first time in 1968 and surprised many the following year by lifting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, (which was the forerunner of the UEFA Cup), beating Sporting Lisbon, Feyenoord, Real Zaragoza and Rangers along the way, before triumphing over two legs against Hungary's Újpest FC in the final. United possessed a reliable team and Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets)'s tradition of fielding

a popular

goalscorer at number 9 continued, as Welshman Wyn Davies was prominent.

In the years that followed European success, manager Harvey brought in a string of t

alented entertainers who thrilled the Gallowgate crowd. Players such as Jimmy Smith, Tony Green, Terry Hibbitt and in particular

centre-forward Malcolm Macdonald all became favourites amongst supporters. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Malcolm Macdonald was one of United's most popular figures and is still held in high regard by supporters to this day. He had an impressive goalscoring tally, which led United's attack to Wembley twice, in 1974 and 1976, against Liverpool in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the League Cup. But on each occasion the Magpies failed to bring the trophy back to Tyneside. A small consolation was back to back triumphs in the Texaco Cup in 1974

and 1975.

By the start of the 1980s, United had declined dramatically and were languishing in the Second Division. Gordon Lee had replaced Harvey as boss, yet he in turn soon gave way to Richard Dinnis and then Bill McGarry. But it was Arthur Cox who steered United back again to the First Division with ex-England skipper Kevin Keegan the focus of the side, having joined the club in 1982. With managers such as Jack Charlton, Willie McFaul and Jim Smith, Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) remained in the top-flight until the team was relegated once more in 1989.

Later, Kevin Keegan returned to Tyneside to replace Osvaldo Ardiles as manager on a short term contract in 1992, taking what he claimed to be the only job that could tempt him back into football. United were struggling at the wrong end of Division Two; Sir John Hall had all but taken control of the club and he needed a minor miracle to stop the Magpies from tumbling into the Third Division for the first time in their history. Survival was confirmed by winning both of their final two league games, at home to Portsmouth and away to Leicester City, the latter to a last minute own goal, although as it transpired, Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) would have survived even if they had lost at Leicester .

The 1992–93 season saw a dramatic turn around in the club's fortunes. They won their first eleven league games before a 1–0 home defeat against Grimsby Town ended the run, two games short of the English league record of 13 consecutive wins. Playing an exciting brand of attacking football Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) became Division One champions with a 2–0 away win, coincidentally at Grimsby, and gained promotion to the Premier League.

Under Keegan, Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) continued to succeed, impressing with their attacking flair and a third place finish during the 1993–94 season, this was their first season back in the top flight. The attacking philosophy of Keegan led to Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) becoming labelled by Sky television as "The Entertainers". The following season Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) sold top scorer Andy Cole to Manchester United and finished 6th that season.

With the transfer money in 1995–96, Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) rebuilt with the signing of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand amongst others. The club came very close to winning the Premier League that season, and were at one time 12 points ahead of nearest rivals Manchester United, but eventually lost out. One match in particular from that season stood out, the 4–3 defeat to Liverpool, which has since been described as the greatest ever Premiership match. On 30 July 1996, the disappointment of missing out on the title was lessened to an extent, as the club signed Alan Shearer for a then world record fee of £15 million. The 1996–97 season saw Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) once again finish in second.

After short and unsuccessful spells as manager from Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit, former England manager Sir Bobby Robson was appointed as manager. His first home game in charge was particularly impressive; it was an 8–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, which remains the club's record home win. Good performances such as these helped the club ensure survival in the Premiership in Robson's first season. A title challenge emerged during the 2001–02 season, and Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) achieved qualification for the Champions League after finishing in 4th place. However, Robson was sacked in 2004 after failing to qualify for the Champions League. Robson is still held in high regard by Newcastle(Click here to buy Newcastle tickets) supporters.

Graeme Souness was his replacement, but he proved to be an unpopular and unsuccessful choice being sacked on 2 February 2006, despite signing Michael Owen for a record £17 million. Glenn Roeder replaced Souness; during this time Alan Shearer overtook Jackie Milburn as the club's highest ever goal-scorer. Shearer retired at the end of the 2005–06 season, with a total of 206 goals for the club.