SAFC v Wigan Athletic: we knew Bernard would have his say

Bernard Ramsdale, as is well enough known around here, has long been among our favourite opposing supporters, and romped to victory in our first “Who are You” awards. He formerly ran the Latics’ fan site Ye Olde Tree and Crown. Now, he is a key part of the team behind the excellent This Northern Soul, bringing together like-minded, Wigan-supporting sites. This is his preview of tomorrow’s match, so important to both clubs, reproduced from TNS with Bernard’s consent (he asked for a guaranteed three points in lieu of payment and I’m hoping Steve Bruce can make my polite refusal come true) …

Wigan Athletic head to the North East this weekend where they will lock horns once again with their former manager Steve Bruce, who despite shopping at Harrods is heading for the bargain bucket at “Discount Daisy’s”. Roberto Martinez will be hoping for his first ever set of back to back victories whilst Bruce will be hoping to finally beat Martinez in a competitive game for the first time. Something’s got to give!

History of this fixture

10/10/1987 – Division Three (A) – 1-4 – (Paul Jewell) – 13,974
Redfern, Butler, Beesley, Hamilton, Cribley, (Knowles), Holden, Storer, Thompson, Hilditch, Jewell, Griffiths, (Ainscow)

12/03/1988 – Division Three (H) – 2-2 – (Paul Cook, Steve Senior) – 6,949
Hughes, Atherton, Kennedy, Hamilton, McEwan, Beesley, Thompson D, Campbell, (Butler), Hilditch, Jewell, Cook, (Griffiths)

10/04/1988 – Mercantile Credit Football League Centenary (WEM) – 0-0 (Latics won 2-1 on pens) – 41,500

03/12/2003 – Division One (A) – 1-1 – (Jason De Vos) – 22,167
Filan, Rogers, Breckin, Jackson, (De Vos 45) (sent off 81), Eaden, McCulloch, Bullard, Jarrett, (Lawrence 83), Liddell, Ellington, Roberts, (Teale 59)
(Debut for Alan Rogers)

24/04/2004 – Division One (H) – 0-0 -11,360
Filan, Eaden, Breckin, De Vos, Baines, Teale, Jarrett, Bullard, Mahon, (McCulloch 71), Ellington, Roberts J

28/08/2004 – The Championship (A) – 1-1 – (Jason Roberts) – 26,330
Filan, Wright, Breckin, Jackson, Baines, Teale, Bullard, Frandsen, McCulloch, Ellington, Roberts J
(Future Latic Steve Caldwell played fore the Black Cats)

05/04/2005 – The Championship (H) – 0-1 – 20,745
Filan, Eaden, Wright, Breckin, Baines, Teale, Wright, Breckin, Baines, Teale, (Jarrett 64), Kavanagh, Bullard, Mahon, (Ormerod 45), Roberts J , Ellington

27/08/2005 – The Premiership (H) – 1-0 (Jason Roberts (pen)) – 17,223
Pollitt, Chimbonda, Henchoz, (Jackson, 86), De Zeeuw, Baines, Taylor, Kavanagh, (Mahon, 70), Francis, Bullard, Roberts, McCulloch
(Jason Roberts’ scored Latics first ever ‘top flight’ goal, which is also Latics’ first ‘top flight’ penalty scored in Latics’ first ever ‘top flight’ victory)

11/03/2006 – The Premiership (A) – 1-0 – (Henri Camara) – 31,194
Filan, Chimbonda, Scharner, De Zeeuw, Baines, Teale, (Thompson 58), Kavanagh, (Ziegler 63), Bullard, McCulloch, Camara, (Johansson,82), Roberts

05/01/2007 – FA Cup, 3 (A) – 3-0 – (Paul Scharner, David Cotterill, Paul McShane (og)) – 20,821
Pollitt, Boyce, Granqvist, Scharner, Kilbane, Taylor, (Cotterill), Skoko, Olembe, Koumas, Sibierski, (Aghahowa), Heskey, (Brown)
(Former Latics players Graham Kavanagh and David Connolly played for Sunderland)

18/08/2007 – The Premiership – (H) – 3-0 – (Emile Heskey, Denny Landzaat (pen), Antoine Sibierski (pen)) – 18,639
Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Granqvist, Kilbane, Valencia, Scharner, (Brown, 83 ), Landzaat, Koumas, Heskey, (Folan, 78 ), Sibierski, (Aghahowa, 76) Michael Brown’s first game for Latics
(Former Latic David Connolly was an unused substitute for Sunderland)

09/02/2008 – The Premiership (A) – 0-2 – 43,600
Kirkland, Melchiot, (Koumas 46), Boyce, Scharner, Kilbane, Valencia, Palacios, Brown, Taylor, (Olembe 56), Heskey, (Bent 68), King

13/09/2008 – The Premier League (H) – 1-1 – (Amr Zaki) – 18,015
Kirkland, Melchiot. Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, Valencia, Palacios, (Kapo 68), Cattermole, (sent off 86), Kilbane, (Koumas 56), Heskey, Zaki, (Scharner 90)
(Former Latic Pascal Chimbonda played for Sunderland)

14/03/2009 – The Premier League – (A) – 2-1 – (Ben Watson, Charles N’Zogbia) – 39,256
Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, Scharner, Valencia, Watson, Brown, N’Zogbia, Mido, (Zaki 64)

28/11/2009 – The Premier League – (H) – 1-0 – (Hugo Rodallega) – 20, 447
Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, N’Zogbia, Diame, Thomas, Scharner, Scotland, (Gomez 55), Rodallega
(Sunderland were managed by ex Latics manager Steve Bruce)

06/02/20`10 – The Premier League – (A) – 1-1 – (Mohamed Diame) – 38,350
Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Caldwell, Figueroa, N’Zogbia, Thomas, Diame, McCarthy, Scharner, (Moreno 75), Rodallega, (Moses 84)
(Debuts for Marcelo Moreno and Victor Moses)
(Ex Latic Lee Cattermole played for Sunderland who were managed by ex Latics manager Steve Bruce)

11/09/2010 – The Premier League – (H) – 1-1 – (Antolin Alcaraz) – 15,884
Al-Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Thomas (Di Santo, 53), Diame, Stam (N’Zogbia, 53), McCarthy, Rodallega, Boselli, (Cleverley 75)
(Debuts for Franco Di Santo and Tom Cleverley)
(Sunderland were managed by former Latics manager Steve Bruce. Ex Latics Lee Cattermole and Titus Bramble also played for the Black Cats. Cattermole getting sent off after 24 mins)

Wigan Athletic/Sunderland links
Peter Beagrie, John Benson, Titus Bramble, Steve Bruce, Keith Bertschin, Eric Black, Steven Caldwell, Lee Cattermole, Pascal Chimbonda, David Connolly, Terry Cooke, Alan Crompton, Paul Durrant, Wayne Entwistle, David Hamilton, Joe Hinnigan, Graham Kavanagh, Alan Kennedy, Kevin Kilbane, Jamie Lawrence, Chris Makin, Andy Marriott, Ian Patterson, Mike Pollitt, Nigel Spink, Emerson Thome

Other Wigan/Sunderland links:

Arthur Welsby played for Wigan Borough and Sunderland. Former Sunderland right back Joseph Blackett became the first team coach of Boro in August 1921.

Did you know? – that on Boxing Day 1999 former Latics and Sunderland star Emerson Thome was part of the Chelsea team that beat Southampton 2-1 at the Dell? The amazing thing about that day was the fact that Chelsea’s team consisted of ALL foreign players and they became the first such team to play a League game in the history of the English Football League.

The photograph shows Bruce and Martinez after the home fixture this season.