Wigan pine for FA Cup glory as not even victory can lift them off foot of League One

Gary Caldwell, club captain in 2013 and now manager, needs much more than Saturday’s win over Reading to disperse the clouds If the 2013 FA Cup final represented a blip for the Sheikh Mansour-era Manchester City in their quest for total domination of English football, it was a hi

Gary Caldwell, club captain in 2013 and now manager, needs much more than Saturday’s win over Reading to disperse the clouds If the 2013 FA Cup final represented a blip for the Sheikh Mansour-era Manchester City in their quest for total domination of English football, it was a historic moment for their conquerors, Wigan Athletic. Memories of that famous day at Wembley still endure for Latics’ supporters despite the relegation from the Premier League that followed. Yet watching the modern-day Wigan, who remain bottom of League One despite a 1-0 win over Reading on Saturday, makes the toppling of City in a Cup final seem an epoch ago.

The club, perhaps understandably, continue to hark back to their halcyon days. Last season they brought back Gary Caldwell – club captain in 2013 – for his second stint as manager, having led the club to promotion from this division in 2015-16. Choosing to swap Exeter for a return to the Latics last season was seen as a risky move by Caldwell, considering the shoestring budget imposed upon him by Mike Danson, the owner who is keen to sell.

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