WEST BROMWICH ALBION v WIGAN ATHLETIC
Barclays Premier League Saturday 4th May 2012,
3pm The Hawthorns
MATCH
NOTES
This is the tenth Premier League match between the two sides
with Wigan having the edge so far with four wins compared to Albion's three.
The Baggies have won just one of the four Premier
League meetings that have taken place at The Hawthorns.
On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku needs one goal to equal Peter Odemwingie's
Albion club
record of 15 Premier League goals in a season.
Albion's last game on May 4 came in 2008 when they
beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at Loftus Road and in the process clinched the
Championship title.
Wigan's last game on this date came in 1996 when
they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Northampton Town in League Division 3.
Albion's last six games:
Southampton (A) 3-0; Newcastle United (H) 1-1; Arsenal (H) 1-2; West Ham United
(A) 1-3; Stoke City (A) 0-0; Swansea City (H) 2-1.
Wigan's last six games: Tottenham Hotspur (H) 2-2;
West Ham United (A) 0-2; Manchester City (A) 0-1; Millwall (FAC SF at Wembley)
2-0; QPR (A) 1-1; Norwich City (H) 1-0.
TEAM
NEWS
Albion
Albion will be without
midfielder Chris Brunt (knee) and defender Goran Popov (calf) for the visit of
Wigan. Baggies’ boss Steve Clarke will also have Marc-Antoine Fortune missing as
the striker starts a three match suspension following his sending-off at
Southampton last weekend.
Clarke is boosted though by the return of Youssouf Mulumbu
with the midfielder having completed his own three game ban.
Zoltan Gera and George Thorne remain sidelined with long-term
injuries.
Squad from:
Foster, Myhill, Jones, Reid, Ridgewell, McAuley, Olsson,
Dawson. Thomas, Lukaku, Morrison, Dorrans,
Rosenberg, Yacob, Long,
Odemwingie, Tamas, Mulumbu.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan will be without Maynor
Figueroa after the player was ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin
injury.
Paraguay defender Antolin
Alcaraz is unlikely to figure despite returning to training following his
hamstring injury.
Squad from:
Robles, Al Habsi, Boyce, Stam, Scharner, Golobart, Caldwell,
Beausejour, Gomez, McCarthy, Espinoza, McArthur, Maloney, McManaman, Kone, Di
Santo, Henriquez, Fyvie.
QUOTES
Baggies' boss Steve Clarke:
“There are still two or three teams below us that can catch
us so we can’t afford to switch off. We have to cement eighth position and we’ll
probably need a further three or four points to do that. That’s the next focus.
“Southampton might have thought it would be an easy game for them last week. It was a
mid-table clash with nothing on it and we certainly went down there and showed
them it mattered to us and we wanted the points. When Arsenal came here a few
weeks ago we gave them a game and they were chasing a Champions League spot and
seemingly had everything to play for - it was a game we should have got
something out of. It will be no different on Saturday. We have our own ambitions
and targets. We want to finish the season well, we like to play well in front of
our own supporters and we like to give them something to shout about - and
that’s what we’ll try and do at the weekend.
“The final will take care of itself. Before that they have league matches they
have to address. They have us on Saturday, which I can assure you will be a
difficult one for them. We’ve been good at home this year and we’ll look forward
to another good home performance.
“But Wigan are a team that
are - this might not be the right choice of word - ‘comfortable’ to be down
there fighting because over the years they have always been down towards the
lower reaches of the league. They know what they have to do to get out of it. I
think Roberto [Martinez] as a manager doesn’t panic. He knows there are still
points to be had and they are a team that are comfortable and can still produce
good football even though they seem to be struggling in their league position.
They still have a chance to stay up because if they get the points they need
they can stay in the league.
“All I’ve got to do is concentrate and make sure my team is right for the
weekend, we put on the performance we want to give our supporters and hopefully
get another win for us. I don’t think they’ll get an easy game here - there are
not too many teams who have come to The Hawthorns and had an easy game this
season. Hopefully we can continue that at the weekend.”
www.wba.co.uk
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez:
“It’s an easy situation to
approach because we’re desperate to play games at the moment, going into this
final fight with good form behind us. Other teams around us have a greater
amount of points which is their strength, but I would argue that our form is
better in terms of the performances we’ve produced recently. Clearly against
Spurs we did everything we had to in order to get three points, but were denied
that by a freak moment near the end of the game. So as you can imagine, the
players are desperate to play again and maintain their level of performance
which was magnificent from start to finish.
“Another element of that game
that really impressed me was the level of support we had from the fans. The
atmosphere and environment we created at the DW Stadium was incredible, and when
you see that you know you’re in for a strong finish to the season. I believe we
have around 1,000 supporters making the trip to The Hawthorns this weekend which
shows that it is ‘Wigan Time’ and that everyone at the club is ready to do their
bit in ensuring the players are able to perform at their best.
“Fans will have seen results
elsewhere over the last week, but my message to them would be to remember that
this is still in our own hands and to be proud of our club. We need points, that
is very clear but we also need to focus on ourselves and our games. If we do
that then we’ll proud of each other in what we can achieve. Looking at results
elsewhere only distracts you from what we’re doing, and for what it’s worth I
think the Aston Villa - Sunderland results helps our situation in making sure
it’s not just one other team involved in battle us for that final survival
place.
“Every team that has yet to
reach the 40-point mark is still very much involved in this fight, so there’s a
bigger spectrum of teams still involved than many think. But if we carry on
doing what we do and push the players into that belief-zone which makes us
unique as a club then we’ll get to where we need to be.
“We don’t see the challenge
ahead with fear; it’s quite the opposite to be honest. We’re desperate for the
West Brom game to come around and go to The Hawthorns aiming to continue with our
levels and go in search of the points we need.
“I have huge respect for what
West Brom have achieved this season, Steve Clarke has done an incredible job in
his first managerial role at the club. You can see the team has brought together
all the good things from their past and that’s been mixed with the new ideas and
focus of Clarke to achieve great heights. Tactically they’re flexible and can
change their shape during games with ease, now fighting to keep hold of their
place in the top eight places of the league which for me makes them the
revelation team of the campaign.”
www.wiganlatics.co.uk
MATCH
ODDS
Result
Albion Win: 5/4, Wigan Athletic Win: 21/10, Draw:
12/5.
First Goalscorer Lukaku 9/2,
Long 11/2, Kone 6/1, Odemwingie 7/1, Di Santo 8/1, Rosenberg 9/1, Henriquez 9/1,
Maloney 9/1, Morrison 11/1, Gomez 11/1, McManaman 11/1, Dorrans 14/1, Thomas
14/1, Watson 16/1, Mulumbu 20/1, Beausejour 20/1, McArthur 22/1, McCarthy 22/1,
Scharner 25/1.
REFEREE
Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Has refereed just one Albion game this season - the
2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa in January.
The Wiltshire official has taken charge of two
Wigan games this season and both ended in 2-1 defeats - at home to Fulham in
September and away at Norwich in December.
So far this season Probert has issued 92 yellow
cards and five red in the 31 games he has officiated.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets will remain on general sale to home
supporters up until kick-off.
Tickets for the Category B game are priced adults £25,
seniors £20, under-21s/students £15 and under-17s £10.
WEATHER FORECAST
Mostly sunny, 14°C.
FIXTURE HISTORY
Albion first met Wigan Athletic in March 1983
in a testimonial game for goalkeeper Bob Ward. Albion ran out 2-1 winners thanks to
goals from Romeo Zondervan and Noel Luke.
The first competitive meeting of the two sides 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 Division Three 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, Craig
Shakespeare netting from the spot.
Wigan's first victory against
Albion came in October 1992 when they ran out 1-0 winners at
Springfield Park thanks to a Chris Makin goal.
The Baggies 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
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 hat-trick from future Baggie Nathan
Ellington.
League meetings between the two sides recommenced during
Albion’s 2003/04 promotion winning season. Albion lost 1-0 at the JJB
Stadium in September with Geoff Horsfield scoring but won the return game at
The Hawthorns in March 2-1, Lee Hughes and Thomas Gaardsoe on the scoresheet.
Since 2005 the clubs have met regularly in the Premier League
with Wigan having slightly the better results, so far winning four times
to Albion’s three.
LAST LEAGUE MEETING AT THE
HAWTHORNS
Albion
1-2 Wigan Athletic Barclays Premier League Saturday 10 December 2011,
3:00pm
Albion:
Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson,
Shorey, Brunt, Mulumbu (Dorrans 66), Morrison (Scharner 84), Thomas, Long,
Odemwingie (Tchoyi 80). Subs not used: Fulop, Dawson, Jones, Cox.
Goalscorer: Reid 33
Booked: Reid 53 (foul), Dorrans 88 (simulation)
Wigan Athletic:
Al Habsi, Stam (McArthur 70),
Caldwell, Alcaraz (Gohouri 67), Figueroa, Moses, Diame, Gomez, McCarthy, Jones,
Sammon (Di Santo 80). Subs not used: Pollitt, Watson, Maloney, Rodallega.
Goalscorers: Moses 37,
Gomez 57 (pen)
Booked: Gomez 21 (unsporting behaviour)
Attendance: 25,446
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Wigan moved out of the Barclays
Premier League's bottom three as
West Brom's penalty curse struck again following Jordi Gomez's
spot-kick winner at The Hawthorns. Defender Steven Reid's free-kick put the
Baggies ahead but Victor Moses' first goal for 13 months brought the Latics
level before half-time. Then
Albion conceded a penalty for the fourth successive home game when
Reid was judged to have fouled Moses - and Gomez ensured back-to-back away wins
for Wigan. Roberto
Martinez's side have now collected seven points from the last four games to
revive their survival hopes.
Moses, whose last goal had been against
Albion, was a constant threat.
But Wigan also defended efficiently and limited the clearcut openings created by
Roy Hodgson's side despite the tireless efforts of Shane Long.
West Brom made a positive start
and Latics keeper Ali Al Habsi finger-tipped a powerful 20-yard drive from
skipper Chris Brunt onto the bar. The Northern Irishman also had a cross headed
just wide by Jonas Olsson. Brunt saw plenty of the ball in the early stages and
when his pass found Jerome Thomas, the latter's volley was blocked. Moses had
the first shot on goal for
Wigan but dragged
his effort a couple of yards wide. Peter Odemwingie found Thomas in space and
his shot was deflected over his own bar by Wigan defender Ronnie Stam. After 32
minutes a superb free-kick from Reid put Albion with his first goal of the
campaign. Gary Caldwell was penalised for a foul on Odemwingie 25 yards out,
although Latics boss Roberto Martinez made his feelings about the decision known
to the fourth official. Up stepped Reid and curled his shot past the defensive
wall and into the roof of the net with Al Habsi stranded. Caldwell made an
important block to deny Odemwingie a second goal for
Albion before
Wigan levelled through Moses. Midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu cut out
a cross from Mohamed Diame but the ball fell into the path of Moses who curled
his shot past Ben Foster.
Long charged down an attempted clearance from
Caldwell early in the second
period before attempting to pick out the run of Brunt with his cross. But Maynor
Figueroa made a vital headed clearance and Brunt needed treatment before he
could continue after the pair collided. Long continued to pose the main threat
for Albion, although he over-hit his pass for Odemwingie after a surging run
towards the Wigan box. But after 57 minutes Wigan went ahead through Gomez's
penalty. Reid felled Moses and up stepped Gomez to send Foster the wrong way
with his penalty. Wigan were growing in confidence and Moses had Foster
back-pedalling to collect a long-range chip after spotting the keeper off his
line. Al Habsi produced a low save save to turn aside a header by Long from
Nicky Shorey's centre but Albion were posing little threat. Moses had a shot
blocked when Conor Sammon was in space on the edge of the Baggies box. The
nearest Albion came to salvaging a point was when Long headed against a post
from Thomas's centre.
Sporting Life
CURRENT CONNECTIONS
Paul Scharner spent four and a half years at
Wigan before joining Albion in
August 2010. The big Austrian became a cult hero at The Hawthorns in his two
years at the club before he left for German club Hamburger SV. He spent just six
months in Germany before returning to Wigan on loan until the end of the 2012/13
season.
Latics' midfielder Ben Watson spent just
over a month on loan at The Hawthorns from Wigan during the 2009/10 season,
playing seven games and scoring one goal.
PAST
CONNECTIONS
Amongst the players to have turned out at various levels for
both clubs are: Lee Ashcroft, Paul Beesley, Ian Benjamin, Nathan Ellington,
Sid Glidden, Mark Grew, Geoff Horsfield, Tony Kelly, Kevin Kilbane, Chris Kirkland, Jason Koumas, Andy Marriott,
Darren Patterson, Jason Roberts, Bob Ward, Monty Wilson and Winston
White.
John Deehan and Kenny Swain both played for Albion and later
managed Wigan.
ALL-TIME LEAGUE & CUP RECORD VS WIGAN ATHLETIC
VENUE |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Home |
8 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
18 |
11 |
Away |
10 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
10 |
Total |
18 |
7 |
4 |
7 |
25 |
21 |
LAST
TEN MATCHES AGAINST WIGAN ATHLETIC
DATE |
COMPETITION |
H/A |
F-A |
GOALSCORERS |
GATE |
Sat 10 Nov 2012 |
Premier League |
A |
2-1 |
Morrison, Caldwell (og) - Koné |
17,812 |
Sat 17 Mar 2012 |
Premier League |
A |
1-1 |
Scharner - McArthur |
21,379 |
Sat 10 Dec 2011 |
Premier League |
H |
1-2 |
Reid - Moses, Gomez (pen) |
25,446 |
Tue 01 Feb 2011 |
Premier League |
H |
2-2 |
Odemwingie, Fortuné -
N'Zogbia, Watson |
25,358 |
Sat 13 Nov 2010 |
Premier League |
A |
0-1 |
Moses |
16,085 |
Sat 09 May 2009 |
Premier League |
H |
3-1 |
Fortuné 2,
Brunt - Rodallega |
24,741 |
Sat 29 Nov 2008 |
Premier League |
A |
1-2 |
Miller -
Camara, Boyce |
17,054 |
Sun 15 Jan 2006 |
Premier League |
A |
1-0 |
Albrechtsen |
17,421 |
Sat 10 Sep 2005 |
Premier League |
H |
1-2 |
Greening
- Connolly, Bullard |
25,617 |
Tue 16 Mar 2004 |
League Division 1 |
H |
2-1 |
Hughes (pen), Gaardsoe - Liddell (pen) |
26,215 |
|