Barrow: It's '˜whetted the appetite'

Barrow was unable to save Latics from the drop into League One, having taken over in March from Warren Joyce, who himself had been unable to lift fortunes after succeeding Gary Caldwell in November.

But the 62-year-old – who managed Rochdale, Chester and Bury after being sacked as Latics boss by Dave Whelan in 1995, before returning to Wigan as part of Roberto Martinez’s backroom staff in 2009 – admits it’s given him plenty of food for thought.

“I have to be honest and say it has whetted the appetite, and made me have a real think about what I have been doing for the last 10 years,” revealed Barrow.

“I think I have made a contribution to this club, under Uwe (Rosler) and Roberto (Martinez).

“Under Roberto I was very busy, with the Under-21s as well as the first team, which I really enjoyed.

“Obviously it was great to come back here (in 2009), but I perhaps didn’t realise what I’d missed, and what I possibly could have been doing had the opportunity come along.

“But that’s life, and I’ve no regrets, in terms of being at this club, and being a part of it.

“There is that little regret, though...I know it might have been at a lower level...and there were opportunities.

“But then you think back to the FA Cup final, and it is difficult...

“But I did take Chester up one year, and there is no better feeling.

“The highs are amazing, and the lows are on the absolute floor.

“There’s no in between, and there hasn’t been an in between for quite some time here at Wigan.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a season at Wigan in mid-table, with nothing on it.”