Wigan Athletic v Port Vale preview – can Valiants bounce back from Northampton blow?

It was an Easter weekend of mixed fortunes for the Valiants – can they put some more points on the board at Wigan or will their troubles escalate?

Preamble

There’s not been much else to discuss at Vale Park apart from that disappointing defeat to Northampton Town. The 2-0 loss ended Vale’s useful streak of two wins in a row and means they still have it all to do if they are to survive in League One this season. The only other news is sad – striker James Wilson is ruled out for the rest of the season and that could also spell the end of his Vale career.

Team news

Starting XI

Well, what can you do with the squad you are given? That seems to be Darren Moore’s dilemma. With James Wilson ruled out and Uche Ikpeazu still not match fit, his starting pair upfront are likely to be Ryan Loft and rookie Baylee Dipepa. Moore may want to decide between Conor Grant and James Plant at left wingback but it’s expected to be broadly the same side that took on Northampton.

Injuries

As we’ve mentioned, James Wilson is now out for the season, while Mitch Clark and loanee Dan Gore are both long-term injured.

The opposition

Season so far

Wigan could well have been among the play-off contenders had it not been for an eight point deduction which was carried over from the previous season.

Last game

Latics suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss to Cambridge United on Easter Monday.

Meet some of the players

Some of the players to watch out for include:

• Top-scorer Stephen Humphrys returned in the summer from a season-long loan at Hearts
• 22 year-old goalkeeper Sam Tickle has been linked to several Championship clubs
• Young defender Charlie Hughes is on the shortlist for League One young player of the season
• England U20 man Martial Godo has scored three times since joining on loan from Fulham

Meet the man in charge

41 year-old former Wigan player Shaun Maloney was appointed in January 2023. He has won 25 of his 68 games in charge.

Connections

Current

Current Vale player Gavin Massey spent five years with Wigan before joining the Valiants. During his time with the Latics he won two promotions. Vale loanee Jenson Weir also began his career with Wigan as did now departed loanee Alfie Devine.

Recent

Players to appear for both sides in recent seasons include midfielder Danny Whitehead, striker Jamie Proctor and midfielder Luke Joyce.

Vintage

Striker Bert Llewellyn had prolific spells with both clubs. The forward joined Port Vale in 1960 and scored fifty goals in 101 appearances during a three year stay. He was even more prolific at Wigan scoring 140 times in 185 games during what was the final club of his playing career.

History

Matches

The two sides first met in an FA Cup tie in 1969 when it finished in a 1-1 draw with John James scoring. It took two more replays for Vale to beat their non-league opponents with James again scoring the winner in a 1-0 second replay win.

The last time the two sides met was in December when an Ethan Chislett hat-trick saw the Valiants win the game 3-2.

Brief History

Founded in 1932, Wigan have played at the DW Stadium since 1999, before which they played at Springfield Park. They won promotion to the top flight in 2005, were beaten finalists in the League Cup in 2006 and won the FA Cup in 2013.

Trivia time

After their foundation, Wigan were elected into the Cheshire Central League and their very first game was… against Port Vale Reserves!

Opinion and quiz

Want to discuss things before, during and after the game? Our forum’s dedicated match thread is the place to be. Share your views with fellow fans –

Wigan (A) match thread

Have you been paying attention? Here’s our traditional preview quiz

• Who is the current Wigan Athletic manager?
• What was the score when the teams last met?
• In which year were Wigan Athletic formed?

(answers below – no cheating)

Quiz answers

1. Shaun Maloney
2. Port Vale 3-2 Wigan Athletic
3. 1932