Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest tier of English football. Their current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.[1]
They have played at the DW Stadium since 1999,[2] sharing the stadium with rugby league club Wigan Warriors.[3] Theypreviously played at Springfield Park for 67 years.[4] The club's nickname is Latics, derived from a contraction of the word "Athletic".
As of the 2012–13 season, Wigan Athletic are the youngest club in the Premier League,[5] having only been formed in 1932.
Life in the local leagues
Wigan Athletic was formed in 1932, following the winding up of Wigan Borough the previous year. Wigan Athleticwas the fifth attempt to create a stable football club in the town following the demise of Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town and Wigan Borough. Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough, was purchased by the club for £2,850.[6] Despite their initial application being turned down, Wigan were elected into the Cheshire County League following the resignation of Manchester Central. Theclub had also made the first of many attempts to be admitted into the Football League, but failed to receive a single vote. On 27 August 1932, Wigan played their first ever league game againstPort Vale Reserves. The team played in red and white shirts with black shorts.[7]
Wigan Athletic won its first honours in the 1933–34 season, finishing as champions of the Cheshire League. In the followingseason, the club won a second league championship and also entered the FA Cup for the first time,[8] defeating Carlisle United 6–1 in the first round – a cup record for the biggest victory by a non-league club over a league club, which has since been equalled in 1955 by Boston United, and again in 1957 by Hereford United. In the 1935–36 season, the club won its third consecutive Cheshire League titleand theLancashire Junior Cup.
After the Second World War, Wigan adopted their more familiar blue and white strip.[7] The club struggled to assemble a competitive side, and finished bottom of the league in1946–47 season. Despite their pre-war success, the club failed to gain re-election and were replaced by Winsford United. The club joined the Lancashire Combination, winning the league in theirfirst season.[8] In 1950, Wigan came close to election to the Football League, narrowly losing out to Scunthorpe United F.C.. In the 1953–54 season, Wigan Athletic played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in front of a crowd of 27,526, a Wigan Athletic record and also a record for a match between two non-league teams at a non-league ground. In the next round of the cup, Wigan were drawnagainst First Division side Newcastle United. Wigan held their top flight opponents to a 2–2 draw at St James' Park, but went on to lose the replay 3–2. In 1961, the club moved back to the Cheshire County League.
In 1968, Wigan Athletic were founder members of the Northern Premier League, known since 1994 as the UniBond League. Winning the league title in 1970–71, Leading goalscorer with 42 goals,including 7 hatricks, was Geoff Davies who scored 28 goals in the following 1971–72 season. He left to play in America with Eusebio, (and against Pele, George Best, Rodney Marsh, and Franz Beckenbauer). After 34 failed election attempts, including one controversial but headline-making application in 1972 to join the Scottish League Second Division, Wigan Athletic were elected to the Football League in1978.
The first floodlit match was played at Springfield Park on 19 October 1966, when Wigan Athletic played Crewe Alexandra, with the official opening of the floodlights on 24 October 1966, when Manchester City were the visitors. City brought a full strength team to Springfield Park and won 4–0.
[edit]Early league years: 1978–1995
Wigan Athletic finished in second place in the Northern...