Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic – a little previous
With the Premier League season rapidly reaching its climax, and with Latics sitting precariously in the last relegation spot, it is imperative that the Blues maintain their unbeaten top flight record at Villa Park tomorrow. Hopefully the visitors will be on top form whilst Blackpool, who are currently ahead of Latics on goal difference will surely struggle at Tottenham Hotspur?
West Ham United have a home game against Blackburn Rovers. Should the visitors win that and Latics beat the Hammers next weekend top flight safety will be assured. Well, that’s the plan!
History of this fixture,
01/12/1981 – League Cup, 4 – (H) – 1-2 – (Peter Houghton) – 15,362
Tunks, McMahon, Glenn, Wignall, Bradd, Methven, Sheldon, Barrow, Quinn, Houghton, Evans
(Playing for Villa was future Latics manager Kenny Swain)
07/08/1993 – Pre Season Friendly – H – 0-1
Farnworth, Duffy, (Hollis), West, (Ogden), Robertson, Skipper, Johnson, Strong, McKearney, Gavin, Morton, Langley
(Playing for Villa was future Latics goalkeeping coach Nigel Spinks)
21/09/1994 – League Cup, 2-1 – (A) – 0-5 – 12,433
Farnworth, Rennie, Jakub, (McKearney), Strong, Robertson, Kilford, Campbell, Morton, Gavin, Rimmer, Carragher
05/10/1994 – League Cup, 2.2 – (H) – 0-3 – 2,633
Farnworth, Carragher, (Rennie), Jakub, Strong, Robertson, Kilford, Campbell, Farrell, Gavin, Rimmer, Lyons, (Morton)
22/10/2005 – The Premiership – (A) – 2-0 – (Aaron Hughes (og), Alan Mahon) – 32,294
Filan, Chimbonda, Henchoz, De Zeeuw, Baines, Bullard, Kavanagh, Francis, Mahon, Camara, Roberts, (Teale, 68)
18/04/2006 – The Premiership – (H) – 3-2 – (Henri Camara 2, Jimmy Bullard) – 17,330
Filan, Chimbonda, Henchoz, Scharner, Baines, Teale, Francis, (Kavanagh 79), Bullard, Ziegler, (McCulloch 81), Camara, Roberts
19/11/2006 – The Premiership – (H) – 0-0 – 18,455
Kirkland, Boyce, De Zeeuw, Jackson, Wright, Teale, (Cotterill 76), Skoko, (Landzaat 78), Scharner, Kilbane, Camara, McCulloch
09/04/2007 – The Premiership – (A) – 1-1 – (Emile Heskey) – 31,920
Filan, Hall, (Skoko 52), Jackson, Baines, Unsworth, (Taylor 46), Valencia, (sent off 34), Scharner, Landzaat, Kilbane, Heskey, (Folan 84), McCulloch
29/12/2007 – The Premier League – (H) – 1-2 – (Titus Bramble) – 18,806
Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Kilbane, Valencia, Landzaat, (Olembe 80), Brown, Taylor, Sibierski, (Aghahowa 63), Bent
03/05/2008 – The Premier League – (A) – 2-0 – (Luis Antonio Valencia 2) – 42,640 Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Scharner, Kilbane, Valencia, Brown, Palacios, (Skoko 89), Koumas, Heskey, (Sibierski 89), Bent, (King 77)
(This was Josip Skoko’s last game for the club)
26/10/2008 – The Premier League – (H) – 0-4 – 20,249
Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Scharner, Figueroa, De Ridder (Taylor 81), Palacios, Cattermole (Brown 81), Kapo, (Koumas 46), Zaki, Heskey
31/01/2009 – The Premier League – (A) – 0-0 – 41,766
Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, De Ridder, (Rodallega 46), Cattermole, Scharner, (Watson 77), Brown, Koumas, Mido
(Debut for Ben Watson)
15/08/2009 – The Premier League – (A) – 2-0 – (Hugo Rodallega, Jason Koumas) – 35,578
Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, N’Zogbia, (Sinclair 68), Brown, Thomas, Koumas, (Cho 90), Gomez, Rodallega, (Scotland 90)
(Debuts for Hendry Thomas, Jordi Gomez, Scott Sinclair and Jason Scotland)
16/03/2010 – The Premier League – (H) – 1-2 – (Gary Caldwell) – 16,186
Kirkland, Boyce, (Scotland 90), Caldwell, Bramble, Figueroa, N’Zogbia, (Moses 56), Diame, Thomas, McCarthy, (Scharner 71), Moreno, Rodallega
(Former Latics striker Emile Heskey played the last ten minutes for the Villans)
25/01/2011 – The Premier League – (H) – 1-2 – (James McCarthy) – 16,442
Al-Habsi, Boyce, (Stam 66), Gohouri, Caldwell S, Figueroa, Thomas, (Watson 66), McArthur, McCarthy, (Diame 85), N’Zogbia, Rodallega, Di Santo
Wigan Athletic/Aston villa links
Warren Aspinall, Lee Butler, Bobby Campbell, John Deehan, Gareth Farrelly, John Graham, Wally Hazelden, Emile Heskey, Joe Hinnigan, William Jones, Ronnie Melling, Alan McLoughlin, Brendan Ormsby, Bruce Rioch, Kenny Swain, Nigel Spinks, Brian Tiler, David Unsworth, Gavin Ward
Other Wigan/Villa links,
Frank Barson, Bert Freeman, James Pendleton, Arthur Phoenix, Thomas Tebb (all played for Wigan Borough and Aston Villa)
Did you know – that former Aston Villa and Wigan Borough hard man Frank Barson is rumoured to have gone into wage negotiations with one of his former clubs’ managers carrying a gun? There are some suggestions that this was done whilst he was at Aston Villa!
The accompanying photograph is of action during the Latics v Villa home enounter earlier this season and is used by premission of Bernard Platt and Wigan Athletic FC.
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