Wigan Athletic manager Shaun Maloney says Wigan are “starting to really move forward” after Fulham

12 years ago next Monday, Maloney played in the Latics team that won 4-1 at then-Championship team Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round.

He replaced Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza in the 58th minute after Callum McManaman, Arouna Kone and James McArthur had given Tics - under the tutelage of Roberto Martinez - a 3-0 lead.

Wigan would go on to win the competition - their finest hour - overcoming Everton and Millwall before beating Manchester City in the final in a shock.

Martinez departed as manager for Everton at the end of that 2012-13 term before Maloney reunited with him in 2018 as an assistant coach for the Belgium national football team.

On whether the football club is heading back in the right direction, Maloney said: “I definitely felt that against Fulham.”

Wigan narrowly lost 2-1 at home to ninth-placed Premier League team Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round last Saturday.

Jonny Smith scored one of the goals of the weekend either side of a brace from visiting striker Rodrigo Muniz.

Maloney said: “I think my big job is to really push for momentum on the pitch and off the pitch.

“I would say the club is moving in the right direction now and it has come to a really tough moment when we sell two of our best young players.”

Defender Charlie Hughes, then 20, completed a permanent transfer to Championship club Hull City for an undisclosed fee in August.

The Latics Academy graduate scored five goals in 76 appearances, helping Wigan to finish comfortably in mid-table in the 2023-24 campaign, despite an eight-point deduction.

Correspondingly, fellow academy graduate Thelo Aasgaard completed a transfer to another Championship team, Luton Town, for what the club said was a “significant undisclosed fee”.

Maloney added: “Doing that will allow the club to move forward. The ownership were good in January. They were understanding about what we needed and the job we had to do, so I appreciate that.

“We’ve obviously got a new managing director and chairwoman, so it does feel like we’re starting to really move forward and so it feels good.”