Wigan’s eight-year spell in the top flight came to an end this season. The Latics had accustomed us to great escapes in recent campaigns but this time, there was no late surge to take them out of trouble. Instead, they beat the odds in the FA Cup to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Their league results and form gradually deteriorated throughout the season, not aided by a relentless series of injuries to important players. Roberto Martinez lost Victor Moses to Chelsea just after the opening game of the season against the Blues. The Spanish tactician had brought in Arouna Kone from the Spanish League over the summer to provide more firepower in the attack. Central defender Ivan Ramis from Mallorca was the other main addition to the squad. Both were quality signings but only made up for the departures of Mohammed Diame and Hugo Rodallega. The Latics had a reasonably good start of the season by their standards, winning their first away game at Southampton on the second weekend but their home form remained the problem well into the New Year. They only won four at the DW Stadium throughout the season, one less than on their travels. They had the occasional flourish, as when they came away 1-0 winners from White Hart Lane in early November but their inability to keep clean sheets, particularly at home, was their downfall. They dropped into the top ten just ahead of Christmas and remained there in the second half of the season, ending up third from bottom. Roberto Martinez had lost Ben Watson, Antolin Alcaraz and Ivan Ramis to long term injuries. The Spaniard signed Paul Scharner for a second spell at the club, along with midfielders Angelo Henriquez and Roger Espinoza and keeper Joel Robles on loan. The Wigan boss stuck to his preferred 3-2-3-2 set up throughout the season in spite of frequent changes in personnel. Cadwell anchored the defence with Figueroa and Scharner and Jean Beausejour and Emmerson Boyce in the wing back roles. James McArthur and James McCarthy occupied the central midfield with Shaun Maloyet playing in behind Kone and Di Santo in the attack. Kone proved a reliable target man, netting his fair share of goals, ending up with a tally of 11 in the league. Shaun Maloney also chipped in a half dozen but the Latics would have needed a more consistent goal threat to stay out of trouble. Jordi Gomez struggled to hold a starting spot. Meanwhile, Franco Di Santo remained inconsistent upfront and was dropped in the final stages of the season in favour of Callum McManaman. The Irishman had an impressive run in the side after Easter when Wigan strung together their first back to back wins. They also kept their first clean sheet of the season with Joel supplanting the error-prone Ali Al Habsi in goal and looked poised to stage their usual late push to save themselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way for the Latics, who dropped crucial points in tight games against Spurs and Swansea and left themselves too much to do this time round. They were with their backs to the wall only days after winning the FA Cup against Manchester City at Wembley, having to win at Arsenal to save themselves ahead of the final game of the season. It proved a bridge too far for the Latics, who will need to rebuild under a new manager next season in the Championship.
