This saw the end of Chris Hutchings and the start of a new era under Steve Bruce.
Fair play, Hutchings probably wasn't the right man for the long term, but would Bruce be manager if Valencia and Heskey had never suffered their injuries? It is all in the past now and Bruce is here to stamp his mark on the team. The impact of Bruce has been nothing short of worth £3 million.
He has already instilled confidence in the side, worked on their fitness , dropped the premadonnas and most importantly, we are now picking up points. Currently on twenty points after twenty-two games, we are half-way there to the golden forty points said to guarantee survival.
We all thought that the £5.5 million addition of Jason Koumas would herald a new chapter in our football, but despite a superb start to his Wigan career, the former Tranmere midfielder sharply sank into complacency and offered little to the team.
It was a bold decision for Bruce to drop the showman midfielder and replace him with Ryan Taylor but it proved an inspired decision and one that has added much need grit to the team. However to blame solely Koumas would be foolish as there are many other reasons for the poor form, but the return of Taylor to the left flank played a big part in the revival.
Heskey and Valencia have added much needed attacking prowess to the side, Chris Kirkland has returned to form and the defence have tightened up. Possibly the latter two points could be attributed to the defensive intelligence of the former Manchester United centre half, but the former is just a point of good timing.
The 1-1 draw with City was the first point from an alarming thirty that the Latics picked up, but in all honesty, the 5-3 win over Blackburn was the turning point. After flying into a three goal lead, Emile Heskey was injured again and Rovers pulled it back to three each.
It seemed as though the Wigan Athletic of the past two months had returned. Without our talisman up front supporters were awaiting the 4-3 reverse and another game without any points. However the team rallied, showed some determination and togetherness and fought back into the lead, taking the game 5-3.
Bruce was quick to commend the character that his side showed, he said: "We could easily have folded again at 3-3, but thankfully we managed to hit back and get the victory. We needed the three points, that was what this match was about. I didn't expect it to be 5-3, I don't think anyone did. Just 1-0 would have done. But all credit to the lads. They showed a real stomach for the fight."
Fifth Placed Finish
Since the Blackburn game the team have picked up eleven from a possible eighteen points, suggesting that a significant corner has been turned and that should the present form continue a mid-table finish is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Those who scoff at such a remark would be wise to consider the number of points picked up per game if the nine game losing streak is ignored. Twenty points from thirteen games have been achieved, giving a points per game ratio of 1.54 and so after 38 games we would have nearly 60 points. That many points last season would have earned a fifth place finish in the table.
However there is a lot of work to do before arriving at that point and no doubt Bruce will be drilling this point into his squad. We are still deep in the relegation battle and Everton on Sunday is as far as we should be looking.
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