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DATE:
Sunday 15th January 2006 MATCH PREVIEW BY: Martyn Todd Albion travel to Premier
League high flyers Wigan Athletic on Sunday
needing to grab at least a point from Paul
Jewell’s men. Wigan have a number of
good players, with a good mixture of youth and experience through-out the
squad. Former Cardiff and Stoke midfield general
Graham Kavanagh has been in good form for the Latics as of late, so too
has former Baggie Jason Roberts. There's no doubt that Roberts will be all
guns blazing for this match and will want to get one over on his former
employers.
Robson will be looking for the returning Junichi Inamoto to
give some vital inspirtation in the middle of the park and will also be
looking for Jonathan Greening to start reproducing the form that was so
vital to the Baggies last season. COME ON YOU BAGGIES!!!
ALBION Diomansy Kamara (international duty), Neil Clement (head injury), Thomas Gaardsoe (hernia), Kanu (head injury) and Zoltan Gera (groin) are all definitely out for Bryan Robson's men. Rumoured Wigan target Rob Earnshaw will travel with the squad despite not figuring in recent weeks. Possible Line-up: Kuszczak, Watson, Moore, Davies, Robinson, Greening, Wallwork, Carter, Inamoto, Ellington, Campbell. WIGAN ATHLETIC Paul Jewell will be without a number of key players for the JJB Stadium clash. Senegal striker Henri Camara is missing due to African Nations Cup action whilst Emerson Thome (cheekbone), Ryan Taylor (toe) and David Connolly (hamstring) all definitely miss out through injury. Lee McCulloch, Leighton Baines and David Wright are also all doubtful. Possible Line-up: Pollitt, Chimbonda, De Zeeuw, Henchoz, McMillan, Teale, Bullard, Kavanagh, Scharner, Roberts, Johansson.
THIS SEASON Wigan currently lie in 6th place in the Barclays Premiership with 34 points from 21 games. Jason Roberts is the club's leading scorer with nine league and cup goals. The Latics have lost their last two Premiership games against Birmingham City and Blackburn but did beat Arsenal 1-0 in their last match - the Carling Cup semi-final 1st leg. In the FA Cup 3rd round Paul Jewell's men face a replay at Elland Road against Leeds United. LAST SEASON Wigan were promoted to the Barclays Premiership after finishing runners-up to Sunderland in the Coca-Cola Championship amassing 87 points from 46 games. They were knocked out of the FA Cup in the 3rd round by Derby County and were beaten in the 1st round of the Carling Cup by Grimsby Town. Current Albion striker Nathan Ellington was Wigan's top goalscorer with 24 league and cup goals. ONES TO WATCH Jason Roberts - Well known to Baggies' fans. Strong, quick and powerful striker. Finally found his scoring boots at Premiership level. Jimmy Bullard - Hard working and skilful midfielder with a never say die attitude. Scored the winner in the clash between the two sides at The Hawthorns earlier this season. Graham Kavanagh - A driving force in midfield. Vastly underrated player with a keen eye for goal. THE MANAGER Paul Jewell started his playing career as an apprentice at Liverpool but failed to make the breakthrough into the Reds first team. In 1984 he joined Wigan Athletic and spent four years at Springfield Park before moving onto Bradford City in July 1988. He took charge of City's reserves during the 1996-97 season and was later appointed joint First Team Coach at Valley Parade. It was at Valley Parade where Liverpool-born Paul started his managerial career in 1998 after replacing Chris Kamara, within eighteen months he had taken Bradford into the Premiership. He left the club in June 2000 following a disagreement with City chairman Geoffrey Richmond, this despite helping the club retain it's Premiership status. Paul was back in work within days, taking over at Sheffield Wednesday but his tenure at Hillsborough was short-lived lasting just eight months before being replaced by Peter Shreeves. Paul took over from Steve Bruce at Wigan in June 2001. He led the Latics to the Second Division championship in 2003 and then in 2005 took them into the Premiership after finishing runners-up to Sunderland in the Championship.
Albion first met Wigan Athletic in March 1983 in a testimonial game for Bob Ward, Albion ran out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Romeo Zondervan and Noel Luke. The two club's first competitive meeting came in September 1984 in the Milk Cup. A goalless draw at Wigan was followed by a 3-1 victory for Albion at The Hawthorns, Steve Hunt, Garry Thompson and Nicky Cross the Albion scorers. Albion's first league encounters with the 'Latics' took place during the 1991/92 season. The first game, at The Hawthorns in August ended 1-1 whilst the return game at Springfield Park saw Albion claim three points with a 1-0 victory. Wigan's first victory against Albion came in October 1992 when they ran out 1-0 winners at Springfield Park. Albion gained revenge for the defeat by recording their highest score against the Lancashire side in the return game at The Hawthorns six months later. Bob Taylor (2), Micky Mellon, Paul Raven and Kevin Donovan scoring the Albion goals in a 5-1 victory. The next meeting of the two clubs came during the Isle of Man tournament in July 1996, Albion running out 1-0 winners thanks to a Paul Groves goal. A year later Albion travelled to Wigan for a pre-season friendly and came home on the end of a 2-0 defeat. In October 2002 Premiership Albion travelled to the JJB Stadium for a Worthington Cup tie with the then Second Division Wigan. The home side ran out 3-1 winners thanks to a Nathan Ellington hat-trick. League meetings between the two sides recommenced during the 2003/04 season. Albion lost 1-0 at the JJB Stadium in September due to a Geoff Horsfield goal but won the return game at The Hawthorns in March 2-1, Lee Hughes and Thomas Gaardsoe the scorers. The last league meeting of the two sides came in September, Wigan running out 2-1 winners at The Hawthorns thanks to a late Jimmy Bullard goal.
LAST Wigan Athletic 1-0 Albion Wigan Athletic: Filan, Eaden, Jackson, Breckin, Kennedy, Liddell, Bullard, Dinning, McCulloch, Ellington (Teale 76), Horsfield (Roberts 86). Subs not used: Walsh, Mitchell, Burchill Goalscorer: Horsfield 45
Albion: Hoult, Haas, Gaardsoe, Volmer (Johnson 63), Sigurdsson, Clement, Gregan, O'Connor, Koumas, Sakiri (Hughes 45), Hulse (Dichio 59). Subs not used: Murphy, N'Dour
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire)
Assistant Referees:
Alec Clyde (South Yorkshire), Allan Rawcliffe (Greater Manchester) Half-Time: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Albion Attendance: 12,874 Sporting Life Match Report: Wigan went top of the table in their first season in Division One as they ended previous leaders West Brom's five-game winning streak thanks to Geoff Horsfield's goal on his home debut at the JJB Stadium. Paul Jewell's Division Two champions have now racked up five successive league wins following an opening-day defeat at Millwall, with new striker Horsfield grabbing his second goal in as many matches for his new club following a recent £1million switch from Birmingham. The Baggies were looking to extend their lead at the top but bustling striker Horsfield fired home from the edge of the area in first-half injury-time to knock the visitors off their perch. Wigan had enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, but fans had to wait until the 12th minute before either side had a shot on target, Lee McCulloch connecting with Eaden's cross only to fire over the bar from 18 yards. Matt Jackson then headed wide and Horsfield brought the best out of Hoult, who parried the striker's goalbound shot from the edge of the area as the Latics looked to cash in on their early dominance. Bernt Haas responded for West Brom in the 23rd minute, but his close-range effort - comfortably held by Filan - was the visitors' first shot on goal. But having been hemmed in for most of the first period, West Brom almost snatched a half-time lead. Gregan's shot from the edge of the penalty area following Filan's punch from a Jason Koumas cross was hacked clear and from Sakiri's in-swinging corner Thomas Gaardsoe headed over the crossbar. Just as it looked as though Wigan's first-half dominance would go unrewarded, Horsfield latched onto Ian Breckin's long pass to shoot home from 18 yards. West Brom came out fired-up after the break, boss Gary Megson replacing Artim Sakiri with fans' favourite Lee Hughes and the visitors went on the offensive. Soon after Megson sent on former QPR and Sunderland striker Daniele Dichio for Rob Hulse, but it was Horsfield who went close to extending the home side's lead when he fired over the crossbar from Jimmy Bullard's near-post corner before Nathan Ellington blazed over from long range. Megson played his full hand when replacing Joost Volmer with Andy Johnson, but after withstanding an early second-half onslaught Wigan went close again when Horsfield headed over from Nicky Eaden's cross. Sean Gregan and Neil Clement tried their luck from distance without troubling home keeper John Filan, who then denied Johnson with a fine save to keep out the substitute's 25-yard rocket as Wigan showed signs of the jitters in the final quarter. Filan then held Dichio's close-range shot but with West Brom sniffing an equaliser Latics midfielder Tony Dinning let fly from 30 yards only to see West Brom keeper Russell Hoult parry his shot and then Jimmy Bullard went close to killing off the visitors from 10 yards. CURRENT CONNECTIONS Jason Roberts joined Albion from Bristol Rovers in July 2000 and spent three and a half years at The Hawthorns before moving to Wigan in January 2004; Geoff Horsfield moved to The Hawthorns in December 2003 after spending just three months as a Wigan player following his move there from Birmingham City. Nathan Ellington moved to Albion from Wigan in August for a fee of £3 million. PAST CONNECTIONS Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for both clubs are: Lee Ashcroft, Paul Beesley, Ian Benjamin, Mark Grew, Tony Kelly, Andy Marriott, Darren Patterson, Bob Ward and Winston White. John Deehan and Kenny Swain both played for Albion and later managed Wigan. ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS WIGAN ATHLETIC
LAST TEN MATCHES AGAINST WIGAN ATHLETIC
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