There is normally 90 minutes worth of action to rouse over or the latest transfer window to bemoan but the international break provided a chance to take a step back from what is likely to be a frantic season.
Whilst the Premiership may be the place to go for out and out quality the Championship can rival the league for value for money entertainment. We may have had a week off but by the end of the month the squad will have truly been tested.
Over the course of the next two weeks the Latics will face five games, and one of those fixtures is on the continent. A gruelling schedule if ever there was one.
Leicester City, Zulte Waregem, Ipswich Town, Manchester City, and Watford are the opponents over the remainder of the month and those five games could go a long way to determining the outcome of the season.
Taking the league fixtures in isolation we’ve got three huge games and they don’t come bigger than this weekend’s trip to Leicester. The Foxes are expected to be there or there-abouts coming the end of the season and following on from the brilliant result against Nottingham Forest it would be terrific if the Latics can get anything from Nigel Pearson’s side.
First there was the FA Cup win, then the Challenge Cup win for the Warriors, and the Community Shield visit to Wembley. All in all the town of Wigan has firmly stamped it’s mark on the national stadium this year with four visits to date.
Now it is the chance for the football team to further enhance our town’s sporting year and pedigree by travelling to far flung Europe to take part in the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history.
Whilst the draw could have been more favourable to the travelling supporters (Russia won’t be top of everyone’s list), it was a favourable draw in terms of opposition. Rubin Kazan will be big favourites for the group but the Latics will surely fancy themselves for second place.
There is then the Carling Cup to contend with and the visit to face imperious Manchester City. I reiterate that the remainder of September will go a long way to determining our season.
Owen Coyle has built a big squad that is strong enough to challenge on a number of fronts but the league must remain the priority. Europe is a bonus and the domestic cups may be seen as a side show. Our focus must be on the league.
The Championship for a year may be a nice distraction to re-visit some old friends but the Premier League is where Wigan Athletic want to be operating. We’ve got the benefit of some big money sales this summer as well as the parachute payments so let’s make sure we take full advantage for a swift return.
Our opponents this weekend, Leicester City, will all too quickly tell of their woe and strife in returning to the top table of English football.
Given the lack of professional sporting action on the pitch there must be a mention for the Wigan 10k. As this newspaper and the Wigan Observer have shown over the last few days, the event was a resounding success with over 2,500 entrants. The way the town has pulled together in support of both Joining Jack and Joesph’s Goal is typical of the Wigan spirit that makes own town so unique.
And finally to continue the town’s great sporting year could I wish the best of luck to the Wigan Warriors for Thursday’s playoff with Huddersfield. Form may not have been the best over the last few weeks but anything can happen in the playoffs, so fingers crossed.