7th January 2000 

Wigan previews
and Wigan reports

ANDY RITCHIE will stand by a winning team tonight for Athletic's big North-West derby clash at Wigan. 

The Boundary Park boss knows his side face their toughest test so far against the only unbeaten side in England or Scotland. For all Athletic's improved form, the televised match still brings together the season-long leaders and a team which has yet to rise above 14th. The luxury of a settled squad, however, gives Ritchie cause for optimism. He said: "It will be the same 16 and the same starting line-up. 

We have been looking stronger recently and one of the reasons is the lack of new injuries. "Being able to use a settled side is always a big thing. We have come quite a long way, but we have to make sure we do well against teams like Wigan. "It's probably the most difficult game we have had this season. 

"Wigan are unbeaten and they are playing at home in a nice new stadium. "Tonight will be a good barometer for us to judge how far we have come over the course of the season. "We played well twice at Preston last month and should have got something out of both games. This is another chance to prove ourselves." Athletic must keep out the division's most potent strikeforce in tonight's game (kick-off 7.45). 

Wigan have passed a half-century of goals in league and cup and can even afford to leave Stuart Barlow — the country's second-top scorer with 20 — on the substitutes' bench. Stuart Balmer is ruled out by a back injury, so ex-Manchester United youngster Pat McGibbon is likely to step into defence. It is a sign of the task facing Ritchie's men that they are rated by bookmakers as 8-1 shots in a two-horse race. ATHLETIC: Kelly, S McNiven, Holt, Garnett, Hotte, Duxbury, Sheridan, Rickers, Adams, Whitehall, Allott. Subs: Miskelly, Jones, Innes, Tipton, Dudley. WIGAN (probable): Carroll, Bradshaw, Sharp, de Zeeuw, McGibbon, Green, McLoughlin, O'Neill, Peron, Haworth, Liddell. Subs (from): Stillie, Griffiths, Kilford, Sheridan, Barlow, Martinez. Next Tuesday's Auto Windscreens Shield tie against Stoke has forced Athletic to postpone the reserve-team game against the same club. Keen to get their fringe players back in action, they will instead play at Port Vale on Wednesday.

Benson hedges his promotion bets

ALMOST everyone in football would tell you that Wigan are certainties for promotion. Fine squad of players, money in the bank, top of the division, unbeaten in the league all season . . . they are absolutely nailed on to be playing first division football next season. Their manager, however, is not quite so certain. In fact, John Benson — whose side entertain Athletic at the JJB Stadium tonight — insists that the amazing first half to Wigan’s campaign provides them with no guarantees at all. “People might think we’re going to walk it, but that definitely won’t be the case,” Benson said. “This is such a competitive division that, despite going so long without losing, we’re still only two points in front of Preston. “If you’d said at the start of the season that someone would be unbeaten after 24 games, you’d have thought they would be at least eight points clear. “But Preston are having a great run, Bristol Rovers are right up there and Gillingham are getting good results as well. 

“Oldham are another club doing well at the moment, so we can take nothing for granted in this game. “I’m pleased for them because I saw them earlier in the season and they looked like a side lacking in confidence. “That’s something you can’t give to people. You can’t just go to a doctor and get a pill. “Confidence is something you have to work at and the amazing thing is that it can come when you don’t expect it — from a last-minute goal or a lucky break. “Slowly but surely, Andy Ritchie has turned it round. Full marks to him for that. “I hope they keep it up because I want to see all the local teams doing well.” Benson took over in the summer when Ray Mathias became one of the unluckiest managers of recent times. Wigan won the Auto Windscreens Shield last April and overcame a terrible backlog of fixtures to squeeze through to the promotion play-offs. Their last seven league fixtures were crammed into 15 exhausting days, yet they were only just beaten over two legs by Manchester City. Mathias was sacked for his troubles, chairman Dave Whelan evidently deciding that promotion was the only barometer of success. Benson, who was promoted from the number-two role, is now the man facing that pressure. But, even though his team have completed 15 wins and nine draws in their club-record run — their only setbacks coming in the FA and Worthington Cups — Benson is wary of taking too many plaudits. He said: “No-one could have expected this run to happen and I do believe we’ve had the luck you need. “A lot was expected of us because we did so well last season, but there was also the move from Springfield Park to the new stadium.

“I was concerned there would be a knock-on effect, with teams coming here and finding it the kind of brilliant place they really enjoyed playing at. “But I hoped my own players would think the same thing. And another key factor was that we strengthened the team. “We have quite a good squad now and, of course, it’s easy to bring in players when you’re doing well.” Wigan have made a formidable eight signings since last season, with only striker Graeme Jones, who joined St Johnstone for £100,000, heading out. The biggest influence has been ex-Barnsley defender Arjan de Zeeuw — thought to be the highest paid player in the second division — but midfield pair Jeff Peron and Alan McLoughlin, a former member of local boys’ club Boundary Park Juniors, have also starred since moving north last month. McLoughlin and Athletic’s John Sheridan, who know each other well from their long spells with the Republic of Ireland, could have a fascinating battle for supremacy. And there might be an additional twist for Sheridan — his younger brother, Darren, was another Wigan recruit during Benson’s summer spending spree and is likely to be on the bench.