Captain Wesolowski's message to fans
James Wesolowski, who will captain Latics this afternoon against Liverpool, the team he has supported since he has been a boy, is calling on the fans to be their extra man.
The Aussie is looking forward to playing in front of the first sell-out crowd since he arrived at Boundary Park almost 18 months ago.
Midfield man Wesolowski believes the ground will be "rocking" this afternoon for the fourth-round tie in the FA Cup with Budweiser.
"I can’t wait to play in front of a capacity crowd and I am sure there will be a great atmosphere. Let’s hope the place is rocking," he said.
Wesolowski admitted it was "freakish" after drawing Liverpool in the competition for the second successive season.
After playing at Anfield in the third round in January 2012, this time Liverpool visit Boundary Park for another eagerly-awaited clash.
Wesolowski describes playing at Anfield, where he had never even visited before playing at the ground for Latics, as one of the highlights of his career alongside the npower League One promotion play-off final when Peterborough defeated Huddersfield.
He recalled: "It was special and I was surprised to see the size of the support as there was nearly a full house for a cup tie against a team from League One.
"To stand on the half-way line before the game and hear the fans singing 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' was amazing. As an opposition player, it not only gets you nervous, but also excited and buzzing.”
And after seeing Liverpool struggle to win 2-1 at non-league Mansfield Town in the third round, Wesolowki believes an upset is achievable.
"The beauty of the FA Cup is that when little factors such as the pitch, conditions and stadium come into play, they can give you an edge. It is also the biggest games of our lives," he said.
Wesolowski added it was amazing last season to doing battle in midfield with Steven Gerrard, one of his boyhood heroes and a player who he describes as having been one of the best players in the world.
He said: "Gerrard is still up with the top stars in the world and it was special to be alongside him and to try and tackle him, though I don’t know if I did.
"He is that good a player that he is a few steps ahead of everybody else and knows his next move before anybody else does."
Wesolowski added that, though Latics lost 5-1, they enjoyed a moment of glory when Robbie Simpson gave them a shock lead.
"To go to Anfield and to be 1-0 up and to get that feeling of being in front against a Premier League club was pretty special," he recalled.