| 1996–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Dave Whelan |
| Manager | John Deehan |
| Stadium | Springfield Park |
| Third Division | 1st (champions) |
| FA Cup | First round |
| League Cup | First round |
| Football League Trophy | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Jones (31) All: Jones (33) |
| Average home league attendance | 3,899 |
During the 1996–97 English football season, Wigan Athletic F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division.
Season summary
In the 1996–97 season, Wigan Athletic became Third Division champions on the last day of the campaign, Graeme Jones scoring a club record 31 league goals in the process. In most seasons they would have been runners-up, but a temporary rule change which saw goals scored take precedence over goal difference allowed them to finish above runners-up Fulham, who had the same number of points and a better goal difference.
Transfers
In
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Bishop | DF | Barnsley | £20,000 | 1 July 1996 | [1] |
| Graeme Jones | FW | Doncaster Rovers | £150,000 | 8 July 1996 | [1] |
| Andy Saville | FW | Preston North End | £100,000 | 25 October 1996 | [1] |
| Paul Rogers | MF | Notts County | £50,000 | 7 March 1997 | [1] |
| Roy Carroll | GK | Hull City | £350,000 | 16 April 1997 | [1] |
Out
| Player | Pos | To | Fee | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Ward | MF | Released | 31 October 1996 | [2] | |
| Michael Love | DF | Sligo Rovers | Free | 24 January 1997 | [3] |
| Jesús Seba | MF | Real Zaragoza | Free | 24 January 1997 | [3] |
| Wayne Biggins | MF | Leek Town | Released | 31 May 1997 | |
| John Butler | DF | Stalybridge Celtic | Released | 31 May 1997 | |
| Matt Carragher | DF | Port Vale | Released | 31 May 1997 |
Loans in
| Player | Pos | From | Date | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Whittaker | MF | Bolton Wanderers | 30 August 1996 | One month | |
| Paul Rogers | MF | Notts County | 13 December 1996 | Three months | |
| Pat McGibbon | DF | Manchester United | 3 March 1997 | End of season |
League
Results
Wigan Athletic's score comes first[4]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1996 | Northampton Town | H | 2–1 | 3,449 | Lancashire, Biggins |
| 24 August 1996 | Barnet | A | 1–1 | 1,905 | Jones |
| 27 August 1996 | Cardiff City | A | 2–0 | 3,354 | Jones, Kilford |
| 31 August 1996 | Chester City | H | 4–2 | 3,854 | Jones (3, 1 pen), Shelton (own goal) |
| 7 September 1996 | Scunthorpe United | H | 3–0 | 3,321 | Jones, Lancashire (2) |
| 10 September 1996 | Darlington | A | 1–3 | 2,601 | Greenall |
| 14 September 1996 | Hartlepool United | A | 1–1 | 2,433 | Jones |
| 21 September 1996 | Lincoln City | H | 1–0 | 3,394 | Lancashire |
| 28 September 1996 | Scarborough | A | 1–3 | 2,570 | Lancashire |
| 1 October 1996 | Exeter City | H | 2–0 | 2,788 | Lancashire, Jones |
| 5 October 1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | 3,744 | Jones |
| 12 October 1996 | Colchester United | A | 1–3 | 2,700 | Sharp |
| 15 October 1996 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–0 | 1,942 | Sharp |
| 19 October 1996 | Torquay United | H | 3–2 | 3,374 | Jones (3) |
| 26 October 1996 | Hull City | H | 1–2 | 3,887 | Morgan |
| 29 October 1996 | Swansea City | A | 1–2 | 2,227 | Díaz |
| 2 November 1996 | Carlisle United | A | 3–0 | 6,235 | Díaz (2), Saville |
| 9 November 1996 | Hereford United | H | 4–1 | 3,414 | Martínez, Jones, Greenall, Saville |
| 23 November 1996 | Fulham | H | 1–1 | 5,039 | Martínez |
| 30 November 1996 | Hull City | A | 1–1 | 3,537 | Jones |
| 3 December 1996 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 4–1 | 2,606 | Biggins, Johnson, Saville, Jones |
| 14 December 1996 | Cambridge United | A | 1–1 | 2,784 | Kilford |
| 21 December 1996 | Rochdale | H | 0–1 | 3,311 | |
| 28 December 1996 | Scunthorpe United | A | 3–2 | 2,833 | Saville, Rogers, Kilford |
| 18 January 1997 | Exeter City | A | 1–0 | 3,067 | Johnson |
| 21 January 1997 | Leyton Orient | A | 2–1 | 3,014 | Kilford, Jones |
| 25 January 1997 | Swansea City | H | 3–2 | 4,058 | Jones (2), Kilford |
| 1 February 1997 | Hereford United | A | 1–3 | 2,532 | Rogers |
| 4 February 1997 | Lincoln City | A | 3–1 | 2,241 | Jones (2), Johnson |
| 8 February 1997 | Carlisle United | H | 1–0 | 6,195 | Lowe |
| 15 February 1997 | Fulham | A | 1–1 | 9,448 | Lowe |
| 22 February 1997 | Leyton Orient | H | 5–1 | 3,783 | Jones (3), Lancashire, Rogers |
| 25 February 1997 | Darlington | H | 3–2 | 3,667 | Jones (3, 1 pen) |
| 28 February 1997 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 2,948 | |
| 4 March 1997 | Hartlepool United | H | 2–2 | 3,229 | Jones, Kilford |
| 8 March 1997 | Rochdale | A | 1–3 | 3,254 | Jones (pen) |
| 11 March 1997 | Scarborough | H | 7–1 | 3,094 | Martínez, Lowe (2), Díaz (2), Lancashire, Biggins |
| 15 March 1997 | Cambridge United | H | 1–1 | 3,867 | Jones |
| 22 March 1997 | Barnet | H | 2–0 | 3,286 | Kilford, Martínez |
| 29 March 1997 | Northampton Town | A | 1–0 | 5,914 | Lowe |
| 31 March 1997 | Cardiff City | H | 0–1 | 4,634 | |
| 5 April 1997 | Chester City | A | 1–1 | 4,005 | Kilford |
| 8 April 1997 | Colchester United | H | 1–0 | 4,571 | McGibbon |
| 12 April 1997 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–1 | 8,703 | |
| 26 April 1997 | Torquay United | A | 3–0 | 2,481 | Jones (2), Díaz |
| 3 May 1997 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–0 | 7,106 | Lancashire, Lowe |
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 31 | 30 | +33 | 87 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Fulham | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 18 | +34 | 87 | Promoted |
| 3 | Carlisle United | 46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 23 | +23 | 84 | |
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 27 | +23 | 72 | Promoted through play-offs |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 38 | +4 | 71 | Participated in play-offs |
Source: [5]
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 5,465 (1,832 away) |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Preston North End | H | 2–3 | 3,713 | Lancashire, Jones |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Preston North End | A | 4–4 (lost 5–6 on agg) | 5,767 (1,158 away) | Lancashire (3), Greenall |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR2 | 14 January 1997 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | 1,639 (374 away) | Martínez, Jones |
Squad
Note: Numbers in brackets are appearances as a substitute.
Source:[6]
| Nat. | Pos. | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | FA Cup | Other[7] | Total | |||||||
 | FW | Wayne Biggins | 20 (13) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 22 (15) | 3 |
| DF | Charlie Bishop | 20 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 (1) | 0 |
| DF | John Butler | 20 (4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 (4) | 0 |
| GK | Lee Butler | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| DF | Matt Carragher | 12 (6) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 (7) | 0 |
 | MF | Isidro Díaz | 26 (13) | 6 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 26 (15) | 6 |
| DF | Colin Greenall | 46 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 49 (1) | 3 |
| DF | Gavin Johnson | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| FW | Graeme Jones | 39 (1) | 31 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 42 (2) | 33 |
| MF | Ian Kilford | 24 (11) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 26 (12) | 8 |
| DF | Ryan Kirby | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (1) | 0 |
| FW | Graham Lancashire | 15 (9) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 17 (9) | 13 |
| DF | Michael Love | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 |
| FW | David Lowe | 31 (11) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 (11) | 6 |
| MF | Roberto Martínez | 38 (5) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 41 (6) | 5 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} | DF | Pat McGibbon | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| DF | Steve Morgan | 18 (5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 (5) | 1 |
 | DF | Roy O'Brien | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | John Pender | 27 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 (2) | 0 |
| MF | Paul Rogers | 18 (2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 (2) | 3 |
| FW | Andy Saville | 17 (3) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (3) | 4 |
| MF | Jesús Seba | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| DF | Kevin Sharp | 30 (5) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 32 (6) | 2 |
| MF | Mark Ward | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| MF | Stuart Whittaker | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (1997). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline. pp. 539–551. ISBN 978-0-7472-7738-5.
- ↑ "Ex-Everton star Ward is released by Athletic". Liverpool Echo. 31 October 1996. p. 71 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- 1 2 "It's love on the rocks". Liverpool Echo. 24 January 1997. p. 61 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Wigan Athletic 1996-1997". Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ↑ "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ↑ 1996–97 Wigan Athletic F.C. season at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ↑ Includes appearances and goals in the League Cup and Football League Trophy.
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