Wigan Athletic has had a lackluster start to the season, but they will be aiming to be in the running for a League One play-off berth at the conclusion of it.
Lloyd Jones scored a late goal to give Shaun Maloney’s team a 1-0 home loss over Charlton Athletic. Jones took advantage of a mistake made by Addicks center-half Charlie Hughes.
Strangely, that was Hughes’ final game wearing a Latics uniform as he went on to sign with Hull City, where he rightly advanced to the Championship after making an impression in League One the previous year.
Maloney’s former standout defender is adjusting to new surroundings, but things at the Brick Community Stadium are still not looking good. The Greater Manchester team lost their second league match of the season away to Reading before losing to Barnsley in a penalty shootout to exit the EFL Cup.
The Latics will try to win all three points at the third attempt when they play newly promoted Crawley Town on Saturday, but it won’t be an easy feat.
The Crawley match is crucial for Latics already.
Crawley will provide an intriguing challenge on Saturday afternoon, even though the team playing at Brick Community Stadium will be hoping to defeat a team who competed in League Two the previous season.
The West Sussex team has adapted well to life in League One, and unlike the Latics, Scott Lindsey’s team has won three of their first three games this season in all competitions.
Maloney and company might find it difficult to stop the Red Devils’ momentum, as they haven’t dropped a match since losing 3-2 to Colchester United in April.
However, the Latics already understand that victory on Saturday is crucial because, should they lose to Lindsey’s team, they may have to deal with the unpleasant possibility of an August without a victory.
The Greater Manchester team faces a possibly difficult trip to Birmingham City on the last weekend of the month, one week after their matchup with the Red Devils.
Even though the Football League season is young, the Blues have already secured four of a possible six points, making them strong favorites to win League One.
The best addition to Birmingham’s roster during the summer transfer window, according to manager Chris Davies, is the addition of Alfie May, who was a player for Charlton previous season and won the third-tier golden boot.
With two goals in as many League One outings, the former Chesterton Town player has already found his form, so the Latics will want to go into their trip to Birmingham as confidently as possible.
And winning games is the best way to boost a team’s confidence, which is exactly what Maloney’s team will try to accomplish on Saturday.
Blues can completely destroy Latics.
The Latics might be in for a very difficult afternoon at St Andrew’s if they still haven’t found their rhythm by the last weekend of the month.
From the previously mentioned prolific May to former Manchester United defender Ethan Laird, the Blues roster is replete with talent on the field.
Therefore, if Maloney’s team arrives at St Andrew’s lacking confidence and the Blues continue on their present winning trajectory, the West Midlands team may win handily.
Even though it is still early in the season, Wigan would have a big deficit to catch up in the play-off race if they lose to both Crawley and Birmingham. This could be expensive, especially for a squad that has lost several important players this summer.
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