So to the 2nd match of the 2012/13 Premier League season. An away trip to Southampton & the first time we’ve ever played “The Saint’s” in the Football League.
We can tell this in the TNS Offices here in Wigan, as Peter is rather looking forward to the match. He’s programmed SO14 5FP into his Sat Nav & keeps testing the route out by walking around Bernard’s & Steve’s Desks. It’s just he can make sure he’s set it up right, he is so ready for the trip down to the South Coast!
Before we look at the Southampton game, a quick look back at the Chelsea match. Unfortunately if you were 7 minutes late you missed everything, by then Chelsea were 2-0 up & Ivan Ramis had 6 minutes of his debut he’d rather forget. Ramis, first getting turned inside out by Hazard for the first goal & then going ‘have that’ to Hazard for the penalty that led to the 2nd. After that it was pretty much an ‘even’ game, though not too sure if Chelsea coasted from then on?
Wigan did have chances to get back in to the game, but were as clinical as a blunt knife trying to cut through ‘just out the fridge’ Lurpak. The same Lurpak we’ve been trying to cut for the last few seasons, with the same knife! If only we had £24 million set aside, we could have bought…….oh hang on.
So to the match, away to Southampton, kicking off is at 3pm on Saturday the 25th August @ the St Mary’s Stadium.
As I’ve said we’ve had no previous league meetings between the 2 teams, so once we do play Southampton we’ll be down to just 10 teams we’ve never played in the Football League. These are as follows; Accrington Stanley (2006), Aldershot Town (2008), Burton Albion (2009), Crawley Town (2011), Dagenham & Redbridge (2007), Fleetwood Town (2012), Morecambe (2007), Sheffield Wednesday (1892), Stevenage (2010) & Yeovil Town (2003). You can see the years they all joined the Football League, so in reality in our 35 years in the Football League, we’ve only missed Sheffield Wednesday along the way. The other 9 clubs all joining the league after Wigan had started their ascent. As for these 10 clubs, we’ll just have to see when we can play them in the League? Hopefully through their ascent & not our decent!
We have though played Southampton, just the once back in January 1986 in an FA Cup 4th Round tie. At the time Southampton where in the 1st Division, Wigan the 3rd. That Season Southampton finish 14th with 12 wins & 10 draws in 42 games, Wigan finishing 4th with 23 wins and 14 draws from 46, missing out on promotion from Derby County by a single point.
The FA Cup tie in the end was an easy match for Southampton winning 3-0 with Glenn Cockerill scoring & David Armstrong getting 2. You also have to remember Southampton had a certain Peter Shilton in goal too that day. Southampton then went on in the FA Cup to beat Millwall after a replay in the 5th, Brighton in the 6th, eventually losing 2-0 in the Semi Final at White Hart Lane to Liverpool, who then went on to beat Everton 3-1 in the final.
So the Referee for the game is Wythenshawe’s own Anthony Taylor, with assistants of Garratt & McDonough (sound like a Flour company) & the 4th Official is Moharebs (yep, me neither).
Form coming into the game, well as we’ve only had the single game, both teams come into this game off the back of defeats. They were though to the current European Champions, Wigan losing 2-0 to Chelsea and the current Premier League Champions, Southampton losing away to Man City 3-2 after giving them a scare. #nearly
The League Table, again you have to remember it’s after 1 game, so Southampton are 13th due to scoring 2 goals and a -1 goal difference. Wigan 17th (seen that before), just above Liverpool (don’t laugh), Norwich & QPR, who both got stuffed 5-0 on their opening day matches. #ouch
Looking at both teams unless they pick up anything in training ala Rio, then both teams are looking at full strength squads.
Southampton will be giving a fitness test to Jack Cork with his foot injury.
Wigan looking to bring back Beausejour after resting his injury for the Chelsea match, also monitoring McArthur’s knock & Maloney’s thigh injury.
Expectations, do you know, I’m not too sure!
Southampton looked good against Man City, bringing that momentum from the Championship we often see, scoring good goals against who are the Premier League Champions.
Wigan played well for 84 minutes against Chelsea, it’s just the first 6 we were crap.
I’ve gone for a 1-1 draw, hoping that Kone gets that start & goal he needs to give him that belief. But after the Chelsea game though, I can’t see Wigan keeping a clean sheet! I’d be happy with a draw & Wigan having 1 point in the bag, as their coach drives back up the M3.
Andy
Oh and finally a quick mention to Southampton’s own blog site in Georgeweahscousin, who we did some Premier League preview work with them earlier this summer.
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