Latics vs. Wigan Athletic

Papa John's Trophy - Last 16

4 January 2022

Latics welcome Wigan Athletic to Boundary Park for a last 16 tie in the Papa John’s Trophy tonight (7pm KO).

The hosts come into the cup clash on the back of successive goalless stalemates against Barrow AFC and Hartlepool United in Sky Bet League Two.

Form Guide

Standing in Oldham’s way in pursuit of a place in the quarter-finals is Sky Bet League One outfit, Wigan.

Ticket News

09122021 Wigan PJT

2 January 2022

Selim Benachour’s men will have their work cut out as they face a side in strong form.

They have gone twelve games without defeat in all competitions.

As such, they are competing at the top of the third tier looking to win promotion to the Sky Bet Championship and remain in the Emirates FA Cup as well as the Papa John’s.

They are third in League One, four points away from Sunderland in second place with a game in hand on the Black Cats.

Wigan’s Last Six:

Oxford United 2-3 Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Ipswich Town
Wigan Athletic 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Colchester United 1-2 Wigan Athletic (FA Cup Second Round)
Accrington Stanley 1-1 Wigan Athletic (Papa John’s Trophy – won on penalties)
Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Wigan Athletic

Head-to-Head

Meetings: 18

Latics wins: 5
Wigan wins: 10
Draws: 3

Scored - 18
Conceded - 29

The last time that the clubs were in the same division was the 2017/18 campaign.

Wigan got the better of Oldham in both of the fixtures; triumphing 3-0 at the DW Stadium in March 2018 whilst claiming a 2-0 win at Boundary Park earlier on in the season.

The last time that Latics beat Wigan came in the League cup back in August 2016.

Goals from Ryan Flynn and Josh Law on either side of a Will Grigg equaliser saw Latics progress to the next round of the competition.

Trophy So Far

Similar to Latics, Wigan finished second in their Papa John’s Trophy group stage.

Club News

03012022 Wigan Match Programme

3 January 2022

Their group consisted of Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s, Crewe Alexandra, and Shrewsbury Town.

They picked up four points; losing to Crewe, beating Shrewsbury drawing to Wolves’ youngsters before losing on penalties.

Wigan overcame Accrington Stanley in their only knockout game of the season, so far.

Oldham finished second in a group with Tranmere Rovers, Salford City, and Leeds United U21s before beating Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the knockouts.

Watch Out For

Will Keane is amongst the deadliest of strikers in the third tier this year, with ten goals to his name in the league already.

Will Keane.jpg

Also, Keane found the back of the net in Wigan’s last outing. He scored the opening goal in the eighth minute against Oxford United in their 3-2 win.

The 28-year old came through the youth system at Manchester United and made a handful of appearances for the Red Devils.

But he was mostly sent out on loan whilst with United and left on a permanent basis for Hull City in 2016. Again, he struggled in the Premier League and an injury picked up against Southampton in November 2016 kept him out of action until January 2018.

Keane left the Tigers for Ipswich Town on a loan deal that was eventually made permanent by the Tractor Boys.

In October 2020, he joined Wigan for his second spell with the club.

His good form at his current club earned him his first taste of international football with the Republic of Ireland in November 2021.

Familiar Face

Oldham fans will remember the name, Callum Lang.

Callum Lang.jpg

Lang, 23, has been part of the setup at Wigan since 2013 after leaving the youth ranks at Liverpool.

His time with Oldham came whilst on loan from his parent club for the 2018/19 season.

Lang was a popular figure at Boundary Park. He made 50 appearances over the season, netting an impressive 16 goals.

His most famous goal was Oldham’s winner at Craven Cottage in a 2-1 FA Cup shock against Premier League opposition.

He is in good form this season too, netting 11 times in all competitions.

In The Dugout

Leam Richardson is the man in the dugout for the visitors.

Leam Richardson.jpg

It is Richardson’s second job in football management following a spell at Accrington Stanley in 2012/13.

He arrived at Wigan in 2017, acting as Paul Cook’s Assistant Manager.

He was eventually offered the top permanent job in April 2021 after a spell as interim boss.

Match Officials

The official in the middle for the game is Ross Joyce.

Ross Joyce.jpg

Joyce last officiated a Latics game in October 2021 as we were defeated by Walsall at Boundary Park. On that day, he handed out three yellow cards and zero red cards.

He's taken charge of 18 games, so far, this campaign, handing out a total of 59 yellow cards and three red cards.

Joyce will be assisted by Stephen Wade and Kenwyn Hughes, with Robert Lewis as the Fourth Official.

Sky Bet Odds

Wigan are 3/5 favourites to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Oldham are 17/4 to progress whilst the odds on the score being level after 90 minutes are 14/5.

Please gamble responsibly by clicking here. For more information visit: www.begambleaware.org

How To Follow The Game

Fixture News

03012022 Wigan iFollow Match Pass

4 January 2022

Live match action on the £10 'match pass' is available on iFollow Latics in the UK and overseas for supporters who can't attend in person, with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown talking you through the match action.

For more information, visit the iFollow Latics page by clicking here.

Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.

Match Reports

Latics 0-6 Wigan Athletic

4 January 2022

Latics finally exit the Papa John’s Trophy as Sky Bet League One outfit, Wigan Athletic confidently defeat Selim Benachour’s side in the Last 16 of the competition.

The Tics found themselves ahead in the 28^th minute as Tom Naylor steered his glancing header into the near post before Will Keane added a second with a header of his own from a corner-kick.

Max Power, influential throughout the match, made it three as he thundered a free-kick into the left stanchion and reeled away with an astonished facial expression during his celebration after a world-class goal.

The visitors found another early in the second-half as Gavin Massey rifled past the man between the sticks, and then, Gwion Edwards netted a brace to cement their place in the next round.

After Latics’ determined victory against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the previous round, the Interim Head Coach opted for a host of changes to his starting line-up in a local affair with Trey Turner named on the teamsheet for his professional debut.

A stern and eye-catching team, the visitors began the encounter on the front foot with an intent to open the scoring in the freezing cold conditions. Callum Lang found himself in a promising position in the final third and, assuredly, teased Sam Hart on the right-hand side before picking out the onrushing Tendayi Darkiwa, however, the skipper’s attempt hit the post.

Lang, an iconic figure amongst the Latics faithful, reinforced his undoubted abundance of ability and talent on the turf of Boundary Park, once again, as he dribbled past several defenders inside the area, but his low drilled effort went across the face of goal.

Leam Richardson’s men found the breakthrough in the 28^th minute through an unlikely source. Power’s precise delivery from a free-kick reached Naylor and the defensive-midfielder glanced his header inside the near post.

Following that, Tom Pearce made an instinctive over-lapping run down the left-flank before firing a low cross into the feet of Keane, but Danny Rogers blocked his flicked effort from inside the six-yard box to the frustration of the frontman.

They kept their foot firmly on the gas which led to the Tics doubling their advantage in Greater Manchester. Once again, Power expertly unleashed a corner-kick towards Keane and the former Manchester United player managed to steer his header into the far corner to dampen the mood in the terraces.

Just two minutes later, Power got his name on the scoresheet in a remarkable fashion as he literally hit a free-kick with ‘Max Power’ from 30-yards straight into the top corner which left the Latics ‘keeper with no chance of denying him.

After the restart, the Tics added a fourth to their tally as they resumed their dominance in the fixture. Massey received possession on the edge of the area following neat play from Lang and Power, and the wideman’s low strike found its way past Rogers.

Born in Oldham, Stephen Humphrys forced Rogers into a smart stop after being introduced from the bench, and from the rebound inside the six-yard box, Edwards fired into an empty net to stamp his authority on the match in the 64^th minute.

Edwards got himself a brace just a few minutes later as he coolly controlled a long ball inside the area before curling past the goalkeeper from a tight angle in front of the travelling away support.

Wigan remained composed, resolute and disciplined until the final whistle to prevent the hosts from salvaging a conciliation in the game to make it back-to-back wins on the road against Latics for themselves.

Oldham Athletic XI – Rogers (GK), Hart, Cisse (Bowden 53’), McGahey, Adams ©, Bahamboula (Hope 81’), Hopcutt (Fage 53’), Luamba (Keillor-Dunn 53’), Couto, Vaughan, Turner.

Unused Subs: Leutwiler (GK), Kilner, Atkinson.

Wigan Athletic XI – Amos (GK), Darikwa ©, Whatmough (Kerr 78’), Tilt, Pearce (Robinson 69’), Naylor, Power, Massey (Aasgaard 69’), Keane (Humphrys 61’), Edwards, Lang (Jones 61’).

Unused Subs: Jones (GK), Watts.

Goals: Naylor 28', Keane 34', Power 36', Massey 47', Edwards 61', 68'

Attendance: 1,831 (731 away)

Referee – Ross Joyce

Ticket News

Wigan Athletic (H) Papa John's Trophy Details

2 January 2022

Match details for the Last 16 (Round Three) fixture of the Papa John's Trophy against Wigan Athletic at Boundary Park have been confirmed.

The game will take place on Tuesday 4 January 2022 with an earlier kick-off time of 7pm again.

Admission prices are as follows for all supporters;

Adults	£10
Seniors (65+), U21 & U18	£5

Please note, tickets will only be able to purchase for the Main Stand as well as the Jimmy Frizzell Stand (Rochdale Road End). The Joe Royle Stand (North Stand) will be closed for this fixture.

The Chadderton Road End will be for visiting supporters only, please purchase directly on this specific link by clicking here.

Tickets are available to purchase online for home Latics fans from tickets.latics.co.uk as well as from the Ticket Office window, opening times are available by clicking here.

Both sets of supporters are also able to pay on the day as an alternative, at no price increase (cash only) at the turnstile.

For ambulant, wheelchair and disabled supporters tickets can be purchased directly from the Ticket Office on the day of the game. For more information and any assistance in advance, please email supporter.services@oldhamathletic.co.uk

For those who can't attend, the game will also be available to stream on iFollow Latics for £10.

Hospitality packages are currently not available for this fixture.