Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'It feels quite difficult now to see any scenario where he remains...'

Alan Rogers:

If someone had offered me a 1-1 draw before the game with Blackpool on Saturday then I probably would have been more than happy to accept the offer. So why was I feeling so disappointed at the final whistle?

It's somehow an unwritten law that your team can be dreadful for 85 minutes, but if you equalise at the death, then you go home feeling as if you'd actually won. But obviously if the opposite happens, then you feel fairly miserable. Actually, hold that thought, maybe I'll come back to it later.

Anyway, the Blackpool fans were quiet for 45 minutes, but were probably the happier at the end. If ever a game was worthy of the cliche 'a game of two halves', this was it. The first half was quite enjoyable, Jon Mellish and Baba Adeeko constantly pushed the team forward, and after an amazing, early goal from the aforementioned Mellish, the Latics seemed to be well on top.

And then the teams came out for the second half...and it was a complete role reversal. Wigan seemed a spent force, and Blackpool were revitalised. Whatever Steve Bruce said at half-time definitely worked, either that or he'd put something in their tea!

Steve never really set the world on fire as a Wigan manager, but I always thought he was okay. I'd had a few conversations with him, and he always seemed to have time for everyone and represented the club in a cheerful and professional manner.

Sadly, on Saturday, he seemed to be a shadow of his former self. He's had an horrendous year, suffering personal heartbreak, forcing him to take time away from the game. Judging by his body language and actions during the game, he's not the same person who I remember from his time at Wigan.

He barely acknowledged the small ripple of applause from the home fans before the game, and was uncharacteristically quiet during the first half, not even showing much emotion after the first goal. He did briefly come to life, however, in the second half when he slammed a water bottle into the ground and received a telling off from the fourth official, which he simply ignored.

His spirits did seem to lift slightly when the Blackpool fans chanted his name towards the end of the game. Even when Blackpool received the inevitable penalty from a very helpful ref, he didn't really react, he just walked down the tunnel until the penalty was taken.

We've been reminded recently at Wigan that some things in life are more important than sport, but I hope the game of football and those within it are helping Steve to get through a horrible time. He may not be everyone's cup of tea (perhaps if you are from Newcastle), but he's a decent bloke and hopefully things will get better for him and his family.

Anyway, on to Tuesday at Burton, and it was more of the same. Lots of huffing and puffing from two teams at the wrong end of the table. I suppose we can sort of sum it up if we suggest that the Latics man of the match, once again, was probably Sam Tickle. He made some fantastic saves, but was unable to keep out Burton forever.

The Brewers took a deserved lead and their fans finally had something to shout about after a difficult season. The game was drawing to its inevitable end when, suddenly, another weird Latics goal from nowhere! Home fans deflated, away fans delighted...personally, I never doubted them for a minute…

Matt Auffrey:

Matchday 46: Our 55th competitive fixture of the 24/25 campaign. One last hurrah before a well-deserved break awaits us all.

This Saturday’s rendezvous at the Sixfields Stadium will feature two sides who have unremarkably cemented their status in this division for next season. Northampton will look to end their season on a semi-positive note at home after suffering a 3-0 defeat at (now relegated) Crawley Town last weekend.

Latics sit just five points and two places ahead of the Cobblers ahead of their final away trip, but still have a few consolation prizes within their reach should they emerge victorious. The most notable feat would be extending our current unbeaten streak to a season-high eight matches, which would be a stellar accomplishment considering we are not even two months into the Ryan Lowe era at the Brick.

There is also an outside possibility that three points on Saturday could catapult us into the top half of the league table by full-time. Should we fall short of a 12th-placed finish, there is still a strong likelihood that we end the season with the third-best defense in the division, having only allowed 41 goals so far.

The Northampton match also represents our final opportunity to find our shooting boots, and somehow avoid finishing the campaign with the division’s worst goal-scoring record (which we currently possess with just 39 goals). More importantly, the gaffer will be given one final opportunity to assess his squad in a competitive environment before some difficult decisions have to be made about the futures of individual players this summer.

Toby Sibbick represents the most recent example of someone who has played sparingly under Lowe, but who excelled when given a start and a full 90 minutes to display his abilities against Burton. Special mention also goes to Ronan Darcy, who came off the bench on Tuesday and ended up being a difference maker as his dangerous delivery into the box duped the Burton keeper and found its way into the back of the net just seconds before the full-time whistle was due to blow.

Saturday may also mark the last time we get to see several beloved players make their final competitive appearance for the club. Sam Tickle was recently awarded a deserved spot in the League One Team of the Season. The club may see this summer as an ideal time to cash in on two years of outstanding performances between the sticks and allow Sam the opportunity to advance his career at a higher level.

Dale Taylor is another player who the club will likely fight to hold on to for next season, despite also proving he is also ready to ply his trade in a higher division. If Nottingham Forest value his abilities a fraction as much as our fanbase, it’s going to be hard for the club to sign him on a permanent deal given how much potential he has as an attacking player at just 21 years of age.

This season has been a disappointment in many regards, but it shouldn’t be seen as a failure. The performances and results have left much to be desired since the end of last season, but the club has taken a significant step forward in many other key areas over that same time span.

We’ve undergone some major personnel changes - on the pitch and on the touchline - and are finishing the season with a commendable degree of poise. Lowe has done well to win over the fanbase since taking charge in mid-March, and will surely find numerous ways to keep building positive momentum over the summer months.

Win, lose, or draw on Saturday, I can assure you our club will still be headed in the right direction come full-time. We’ll have a long off-season to process this past season in its entirety. Let’s enjoy our final competitive outing on Saturday. Cheers!

Martin Lally:

I found it quite astonishing this week that, at the conclusion of his three-game ban, Ryan Lowe had to pre-record a message to the people’s republic of Wigan as the EFL once again fired shots at Wigan Athletic. If I’m honest, there were other culprits at the end of that Horwich game which influenced the late disciplinary issues, but walked away without sanction. However, we have beaten the odds and retained our place in League One, with another very good point on the board against a well-drilled Blackpool side.

I also enjoy watching the reaction of the opposition manager, and sometimes wonder if they wear blinkers as - twice of this parish - Steve Bruce chose to focus on the indisputable fact Blackpool where much better than us in the second half, but had nothing to say about our excellent first-half performance, which could have easily put us three goals in the lead.

I’m really happy for Jon Mellish. I actually think he will be an easy omission in the midfield once others are fit, but his adaptation to the task these last few weeks has really helped the cause massively, and he deserved his somewhat lucky goal...but they all count!

Finally from Saturday, we were once again treated to a Sam Tickle masterclass. It feels quite difficult now to see any scenario where he remains between the Wigan Athletic goal into next season but, like all things, we either live in hope or keep on trucking.

Into the final week of the season, and a Tuesday night trip to Burton Albion for a possible meaningless game. In the end it felt like two teams that were actually competing which was good to see. Overall, I thought we were much the better team, but we appear so toothless in attack at times.

Burton literally had one good chance and took it, Tickle super unlucky to concede again after a fantastic save. It was also great to see Ronan Darcy back and on the scoresheet for the first time. If Tuesday told us anything, it told us once again the summer will be critical, and we really need to strengthen in a good few areas. It’s been a long season, but I look forward to the final outing on Saturday at Northampton.