PART ONE: Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'The 4-0's were superb, but this was something special...'

Caddy from the 5:

Ian Evatt, Horwich baths, Fred Dibnah, Peter Kay, Vernon Kay, Bolton 10 Kay, Shiffnal Street, Sweet Green Tavern, Ikon nightclub, Bradshawgate...'It's happened again, it's happened again, Horwich Wanderers, it's happened again'! Yet again, your lads took one hell of a beating by the biggest small club in the world, and the smiles haven't receded yet in Wigan. It'll be at least 10 years by the next time we play them that they had a 'W' against us, and oh does it feel good! The 4-0's were superb, but this was something special. Was it a smash and grab? Of course it was, and who cares? Did they have all the possession and all the chances? Of course they did, and who cares? When Evatt finds his dummy and settles down, oh what great scenes at the final whistle, watching his head fall off as 'Ozone Bounced'...no, me neither...ask the kids! Belted around the stadium, turning it into a mini rave! He can have all the data he wants, moan about a 'mid-table team celebrating like that' all he wants...we'll just have the points as usual! What a performance from all concerned on the night though, eh? Shaun Maloney set them up perfectly, to get in their faces and give them nothing. The evergreen Callum McManaman was instrumental in all of the action before coming off after running himself into the ground, and oh did he like it at the full-time whistle! You see Ian, you can have all the players, all the data, all the skills, but without heart and belief you've nothing, and we will ALWAYS have that over you. I've picked Callum out, but there were superb performances all over the park...Baba Adeeko had probably his best game for us, Jason Kerr was immense, Charlie Goode was, well, good, the Smith trio were like terriers, Sam Tickle was a rock, and Stephen Humphrys does what he does best...score winners! There's no better feeling than beating them, they can play down the rivalry all they want, but they were wounded big time and it hurt them. Just look at them all on the pitch at full-time. All of this sets us up nicely for a sold-out away day by the seaside on Saturday at Fleetwood, relegation is a laughable mile away, the play-offs maybe a touch too far, but the fans are on a crest of a wave, so have a top day out and get the 'Ozone Bounce' blaring' in the Manchester bar with the 'Bow flowing. 10 years eh, 10 years! UP THE TICS!

Matt Auffrey:

Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over Bolton was notable for many reasons. It extended an ongoing unbeaten run in the rivalry that is now approaching the 10-year mark. The victory also produced our third, and certainly most satisfying, league double of the season with five well-taken goals and 180 minutes of outstanding defending that produced two clean sheets. We prevented Bolton from leaping into the automatic places of the league table and, if Ian Evatt’s men do fail to secure promotion this season, their inability to take a single point off Latics should serve as a point of scrutiny. To the rest of the footballing world, our season may appear to be playing out quite unremarkably. We are nearly dead smack in the middle of the league table and, to my knowledge, aren’t among the division’s best or worst in any particular statistical category. It’s also possible we finish this season without a single player scoring at least 10 league goals (although my money would be on someone hitting that mark). Yet, the moments of brilliance we produced midweek will not be forgotten anytime soon. From Sam Tickle’s spectacular save to deny Eoin Toal's first half long-range effort, to Stephen Humphrys and Luke Chambers linking up to produce the game’s defining moment in the 69th minute, our players performed exceptionally when it mattered most. Derby away, Bolton home and away, Peterborough home and away, and Oxford at home all represent occasions where we’ve raised our game and taken out some of the division’s top sides this season. The young players who have played and performed well in those matches should take a lot of confidence. It would be phenomenal if we could make a play-off/promotion push one year from now and look back at such victories from this season as key moments that helped build a stronger foundation for our future. However, there are still 11 matches left for this group to finish the current season on a very high note. Fleetwood away presents a very winnable fixture this weekend, and a sold-out away end should only further boost the lads. Between the crowd noise on the match stream and the celebration videos shared on social media post-match, there was no doubt the atmosphere at the DW on Tuesday was a special one. Anyone who has had a chat with me at any point in time should know I’m a massive fan of American sport. NBA, NFL, MLS, NCAA...if the acronym exists, I probably follow the league to some degree. But there are very few settings in the American sporting landscape that can replicate the crowd scenes that followed Humphrys’ match-winning goal. All fans who were present should take pride in how their support propelled the team to victory. The end to this season may prove to be far less eventful than the exhilarating scenes that transpired against Bolton, but the positive momentum generated should hopefully push the club forward well beyond these final 11 matches. We’re one step closer to securing survival and enjoying what should hopefully be an enjoyable end to the campaign. Let’s keep ‘Ozone Bounce’ ringing loudly and ride this wave of elation for as long as possible. Our club deserves to enjoy these happy times as much as anybody else.

Paul Middleton:

Bolton fans who, all day Tuesday, were adamant we mean nothing to them, were apoplectic about losing again. But we’re definitely not their rivals, oh no. Their biggest rivals are Manchester United, despite most of those who attend Old Trafford not realising Bolton even has a team. This massive self-inflicted tomfoolery is why we laugh so heartily at them every time they cry themselves to sleep after a match. They haven't beaten us in eight games so, who knows, maybe they are right when they say we’re not their rivals and we don’t matter. We certainly don’t seem to matter enough for them to try and score more goals than Latics in any given game, I can say that much. This weekend is back to normal programming with a trip to Fleetwood but, just for now, that doesn’t matter. Enjoy Tuesday night, relive the moment the goal went in, and enjoy all the post-match entertainment. It’s happened again…

Red Ned:

It was a tremendous win on Tuesday night against them men. Shaun Maloney out-thought Ian Evatt from a tactical point of view, and it doesn't seem like the Bolton manager took it too well at the final whistle. Latics defended superbly from the off, and limited Bolton to very few chances. The introduction of Stephen Humphrys and Martial Godo seemed to stretch the Bolton defence, and paid off when the former played a nice interchange with Luke Chambers and finished bravely, putting himself where it could have hurt and getting there just before the Bolton goalkeeper. The win puts us in a comfortable position and mid-table mediocrity awaits, which will be something most Latics fans will be happy to see for once. It will be an interesting summer with more of our bigger earners out of contract. Recruitment and retention of players will tell us a lot about the direction the club will take over the coming years. No-one wants to see a return to the era of boom and bust, but all clubs need a solid structure and base to build from and, while it's great to see our own kids come through, all teams need a couple of experienced players to help them along. Let's hope the new owner appreciates what Maloney is trying to achieve. Keep the faith.

Sean Livesey:

How do you begin to describe a night like Tuesday? I’ve not really got the words. There have been some fantastic high points this season...undoubtedly some low points as well, but they would be expected in a season where we started on minus eight points and are having to rebuild from a second financial apocalypse in as many years. But were there as many as high as Tuesday night? Maybe taking the pitch at Derby in August, when we were unsure whether we may ever walk out again, let alone beating the Rams? Or perhaps the Manchester United match? Perhaps the 4-0 win over our near-neighbours back in August which got us back into positive points? All of those are important parts to a season that I still maintain will be looked back on fondly in future years, but none felt like Tuesday. We know the well-trodden path Bolton approach in these matches - they talk about us with disdain. Remind everyone how we’re not rivals, despite facing each other 52 times over the last 39 years, and playing regularly over the last 20 years in both the Premier League and EFL. We get it Bolton, we do. You’re on a higher plane than us. We can’t ever hope to match up to your 20 billion fans, who strangely weren’t there during your Premier League days, and we know we are merely a nuisance, whereas Manchester United - who you haven’t played in (checks notes) 12 years - are your true rivals. That’s fine. I even read that Wigan-Bolton wasn’t a derby! I mean, if the five-mile journey between Horwich and Wigan doesn’t represent a derby, I don’t know what does. I wonder if Horwich RMI considered the trip over to Springfield Park a derby? But again, that’s fine. You carry on not caring about us, as it’s done wonders over the last 10 years. I said prior to the match that it was a free hit for us...we’re not particularly in a good run of form, and our season is nearing its conclusion. A season where it was all about survival and stabilisation. Survival both off the pitch and on it in terms of our league status and stabilising a club that was heading into some dark places due to mismanagement on a grand scale last year. We look well placed to achieve those aims as we head into the final furlong of the season so a defeat, although disappointing against our local rivals, would have been understandable. Bolton are heading for promotion and, with the money they’ve spent over the last two seasons, quite rightly are fighting for an automatic promotion spot. On paper, there was only one winner. But football thankfully isn’t played on paper. Bolton dominated possession and chances without ever really doing much, whereas Latics - with a committed game-plan - soaked up everything, knowing one chance would do it. And it was Stephen Humphreys who took that chance. He’s had a frustrating time recently, has Humps. Before Christmas, he was one of the best players in the league. Injuries and a loss of form have seen him out of the side and, when he has come on, he’s looked a shadow of himself. But we saw the Humphreys from the start of the season. After that, it was remarkably comfortable, and Latics could have been further ahead through Thelo Aaasgaard’s volley and Martial Godo’s effort. Much to the annoyance of Ian Evatt. He really doesn’t help himself, big Ian. We’ve had three years of facing the bloke now and, for some unknown reason, Wigan Athletic - in its various incarnations over the last three years - gets so under his skin. If it’s not having a very public spat with James McClean, it’s telling the world his Bolton side were the best team in the league, before getting comprehensively beat 4-0 at home to Wigan (who were 10th at the time) He went one better this time, with some really salty pre-match comments about how ‘Wigan only save their best performances for playing against Bolton’. But all of that was surpassed by his behaviour at the end of the match, as the 42-year-old became chief inspector of the Celebration Police! Marching over to young lads like Luke Chambers, Martial Godo and Scott Smith to inform them their celebrations were unwarranted. He said as much in a post-match interview that, as we are currently sat in mid-table, we shouldn’t be celebrating. Here’s a thought, Ian. Maybe that’s why we’ve won again, and you’ve lost once again.