tonygreenbank
Senior Member
I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for Wigan and Wiganners! I took early retirement in 2003 from my teaching post of 30 years unsure what I was going to do. A few months later I was offered a 2 term position at a school in Orrell, Wigan and 2 months turned on and off into 10 years. The children were keen and well disciplined and the parents supportive and grateful for the efforts shown. It was a brilliant end to my career. So grateful to the female members of the History faculty who wanted to have their babies over that period of time!
The years I was there between 2003 and 2012 coincided with the Golden Age of Wigan Athletic and I had many a good argument with colleagues and pupils who suddenly became Latics mad.
I also did a short term contract at another school in Wigan for one term and the site of the school interestingly was just off Springfield Road and the estate was built on the demolished Springfield Park which was the scene of the first ever meeting between Rovers and Wigan; a League Cup tie played in August 1986 which Rovers won 3-1 and 5 days later we won 2-0 at Ewood in the second leg, with a brace from Simon Barker. The crowd at Ewood was 2,831 according to Mr. Jackman!
We have played Wigan once before in the FA Cup 3rd Round in 1998 when we won 4-2 at Ewood in front of 22,400 with two goals from Gallagher, Sherwood and an og.
For supporters of a certain age the team that day was Flowers Kenna Henchoz Hendry Valery Ripley Flitcroft Duff Gallagher Sutton, a pretty strong side out that day picked by Roy Hodgson.
I think another reason why I like Wigan is probably because Dave Whelan has such a connection to our club. Obviously, he played for us at Wembley and broke his leg but I think he has always retained a emotional link to Rovers and he`s always had a bit of a Jack Walker drive about him.
He worked on Blackburn market with the Howarth brothers and became hooked on the retail sector; he even went to America to study the emerging self-service supermarket industry and introduced it to his retail shops in Wigan and district. He was so successful he sold his business to Morrisons in 1978 by which time he`d already acquired the JJB Sportswear brand.
When all us Rovers fans were in dreamland in 1995 he bought Wigan Athletic and vowed that in 10 years Wigan would be in the Premiership which is exactly what happened playing in a modern stadium called the DW Stadium. I remember reading that such was the relationship between the Rovers and Whelan that the Rovers Board were going to donate the whole Riverside stand to Wigan in the 90`s when Ewood was going to have an upgrade but it never materialised.
Rovers connection to the DW is that we held the record attendance for a while when in 2002 Rovers beat Wigan 2-0 in a League Cup tie with a brace from Andy Cole with nearly 17,000 on.
So on to Saturday. I think my team would be Pears Brown Carter Ayala Edun Davenport Johnson Travis Dolan Butterworth Gallagher. 1-1 the score and onto extra time and possible pens.
Now I know I cant compete with BB`s luscious ladies that he adorns his reviews with but Wigan is not without its fair maidens.
Kay Burley of Sky fame!
Davinia Murphy of Hollyoaks fame.
Georgia Taylor of Corrie. 
and Eva Pope of Waterloo Road.
They have all said that they will be at the game.
The Verve are reforming for Saturday and Sir Ian McKellen wants to be there. The ghosts of Joe Gormley, George Formby, Roy Kinnear and Ted Ray will be around the place too.
It should make for a fascinating contest!
The years I was there between 2003 and 2012 coincided with the Golden Age of Wigan Athletic and I had many a good argument with colleagues and pupils who suddenly became Latics mad.
I also did a short term contract at another school in Wigan for one term and the site of the school interestingly was just off Springfield Road and the estate was built on the demolished Springfield Park which was the scene of the first ever meeting between Rovers and Wigan; a League Cup tie played in August 1986 which Rovers won 3-1 and 5 days later we won 2-0 at Ewood in the second leg, with a brace from Simon Barker. The crowd at Ewood was 2,831 according to Mr. Jackman!
We have played Wigan once before in the FA Cup 3rd Round in 1998 when we won 4-2 at Ewood in front of 22,400 with two goals from Gallagher, Sherwood and an og.
For supporters of a certain age the team that day was Flowers Kenna Henchoz Hendry Valery Ripley Flitcroft Duff Gallagher Sutton, a pretty strong side out that day picked by Roy Hodgson.
I think another reason why I like Wigan is probably because Dave Whelan has such a connection to our club. Obviously, he played for us at Wembley and broke his leg but I think he has always retained a emotional link to Rovers and he`s always had a bit of a Jack Walker drive about him.
He worked on Blackburn market with the Howarth brothers and became hooked on the retail sector; he even went to America to study the emerging self-service supermarket industry and introduced it to his retail shops in Wigan and district. He was so successful he sold his business to Morrisons in 1978 by which time he`d already acquired the JJB Sportswear brand.
When all us Rovers fans were in dreamland in 1995 he bought Wigan Athletic and vowed that in 10 years Wigan would be in the Premiership which is exactly what happened playing in a modern stadium called the DW Stadium. I remember reading that such was the relationship between the Rovers and Whelan that the Rovers Board were going to donate the whole Riverside stand to Wigan in the 90`s when Ewood was going to have an upgrade but it never materialised.
Rovers connection to the DW is that we held the record attendance for a while when in 2002 Rovers beat Wigan 2-0 in a League Cup tie with a brace from Andy Cole with nearly 17,000 on.
So on to Saturday. I think my team would be Pears Brown Carter Ayala Edun Davenport Johnson Travis Dolan Butterworth Gallagher. 1-1 the score and onto extra time and possible pens.
Now I know I cant compete with BB`s luscious ladies that he adorns his reviews with but Wigan is not without its fair maidens.
Kay Burley of Sky fame!Davinia Murphy of Hollyoaks fame.
Georgia Taylor of Corrie. and Eva Pope of Waterloo Road.They have all said that they will be at the game.
The Verve are reforming for Saturday and Sir Ian McKellen wants to be there. The ghosts of Joe Gormley, George Formby, Roy Kinnear and Ted Ray will be around the place too.
It should make for a fascinating contest!
) was a Headmaster and a massive fan of Orrell RUFC. I took him to his last game two weeks before he died and we parked by the club house so he could sit in my car and watch the game. The Club even announced his name….we both had tears in our eyes.
Surely you didn't have anything to do with them ALL did you Tony?
