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Wigan Athletic
BromleyWigan Athletic are rock bottom of League One and have lost five of their last six in the division. Bromley sit just above them, two points outside the drop zone, and are shipping goals at a rate that would concern any manager in the third tier. When these two sides get together this weekend, it is less about title ambitions and more about which set of players can hold their nerve when the pressure is really on. A genuine six pointer, and one that could go a long way to shaping both clubs’ seasons.
Gary Caldwell’s side have been battered on the road in recent weeks, with trips to Oxford, Huddersfield and Leicester yielding nothing but defeats and a battered goal difference. They come back to the DW Stadium needing a response. Bromley, meanwhile, are in the middle of a managerial transition, with Byron Webster taking interim charge after the departure of Andy Woodman, and things have not exactly gone to plan so far. A 4-1 thrashing at MK Dons in midweek will not have done much for confidence in the away dressing room.
This League One fixture takes place at the DW Stadium in Wigan. Both sides are deep in a relegation battle, making this one of the more consequential clashes of the weekend in the third tier. Three points here would be massive for either side given how tight things are at the bottom of the table.
Caldwell has a few selection calls to make, with a couple of familiar faces potentially returning to bolster his options. Here is the latest from both camps.
Caldwell looks set to go with a shape that gives them some defensive solidity while relying on Scott Hogan to provide a focal point in attack. With Murray absent and Harris still injured, the midfield options are a little thin, but Gray’s return adds a bit more energy to that area of the pitch. Power and Trevitt may come in off the bench if they are not quite ready to start.
Wigan predicted lineup: Whitworth; Barrett, Burns, Carragher, Fox, Mellish; Weir, Walsh, Burrowes; Costello, Hogan.
Webster will likely stick with what he knows up front, keeping faith with Cheek and Adeboyejo as his strike partnership. Jones could slot back in on the flank after being left out midweek, and the backline needs to be much more organised than it was against MK Dons if they are to keep Wigan at bay.
Bromley predicted lineup: Smith; Jackson, Grant, Pinnock; Jones, Conteh, Saville, Hondermarck, Pinnock; Cheek, Adeboyejo.
Wigan’s form makes for grim reading. Five defeats in their last six league outings, including back to back losses away at Oxford and Huddersfield before getting absolutely taken apart at the King Power Stadium, going down 3-0 to Leicester City. That run has left them four points adrift at the foot of the table, and the alarm bells are ringing loudly. The one bright spot is that their most recent home game ended in a 1-0 win over Reading on October 14, and Caldwell will be pointing to that as proof that things are not completely broken at the DW.
What is worrying about Wigan is not just the results but the lack of goals. Eight league goals in 12 games makes them the joint lowest scorers in the division, and that is a real problem when you need to pick up wins. They are not creating enough, and without Murray and Harris providing energy in midfield, it is hard to see where the cutting edge is going to come from.
Bromley’s situation is arguably even more turbulent. They have lost six of their first 10 league games under a manager who had just delivered two promotions in three seasons, and the decision to let Woodman go speaks to how bad things have got. Webster’s first game in charge ended in a respectable 1-1 draw with Peterborough, but the 4-1 loss to MK Dons that followed was a reality check. Away from home they have been particularly poor, losing five of six road trips. And the defensive numbers are alarming. Thirty goals conceded in 12 games is seven more than any other club in the division. That is not a rough patch, that is a structural problem.
These two clubs have rarely found themselves in the same division, so the head to head record between Wigan and Bromley is fairly limited in terms of meaningful league meetings. Bromley are in the third tier for the first time in their history this season, so this is genuinely new territory for them when it comes to facing established League One sides.
What we can say is that Wigan, even in a rough patch, tend to carry more threat at the DW Stadium than they do on the road, and home advantage in a game like this will count for something. For Bromley, their away record this season gives you very little reason to think they will come here and get a result.
This is a game between two struggling sides, but there is a clear direction to point your money in. Wigan are at home, they have just won their last home game, and they are facing a Bromley side that cannot keep clean sheets and cannot win on the road. The value is with the Latics to edge this, and there are a few markets that set up nicely around that angle.
With both sides under real pressure and a lot riding on the result, you would expect the tackles to fly in early. Relegation scraps tend to produce bookings, and with two sets of players desperate to avoid another defeat, this feels like a game where the referee will be busy. Over three and a half cards looks a reasonable shout.
Scott Hogan is the name here. He is the focal point of Wigan’s attack and will be hungry to make an impact in front of the home support. With Bromley’s defence as leaky as any in the division, a centre forward with Hogan’s experience and movement should find opportunities, and the first goal in a game like this could be decisive.
Yes feels right here. Wigan have been struggling to keep clean sheets themselves this season, and Bromley do carry a threat going forward even if their defensive numbers are terrible. Michael Cheek in particular has shown he can find the net at this level, and Wigan’s back line has not exactly been watertight. Both teams to score looks well supported by the evidence.
A 2-1 home win captures the feel of this fixture well. Wigan should have enough to get over the line at the DW, but Bromley are likely to nick one given how open games tend to be when both sides are low on confidence defensively. Two goals for the home side and one for the visitors feels like the most likely outcome.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Match Result | Wigan Athletic to Win |
| Both Teams To Score | Yes |
| First Goalscorer | Scott Hogan |
Wigan winning while both teams find the net fits the pattern of this fixture perfectly, and Hogan as first scorer adds a nice boost to the returns given how central he is to everything the Latics do going forward.
Wigan Athletic 2-1 Bromley. It is not going to be pretty, and Caldwell knows his side cannot afford too many more slip ups. But the DW Stadium has been their safest ground this season, Bromley simply cannot defend on the road, and home advantage in a game with this much riding on it should prove to be the difference.
Bromley will give it a go and probably nick a goal, but Wigan’s greater experience at this level and the crowd behind them should be enough to see them over the line and pick up three desperately needed points.
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