Many thanks to Tic’s fan Will Patterson who stepped in at the last minute to save the day and maintain our 100% record of providing an opposition fans eye view of our forthcoming game. It looks to be exciting times up in Wigan and I can’t deny I feel a tinge of jealousy.
Many thanks once again and good luck to Athletic for the rest of the season.
1 – We are about a quarter of the way through the season, so how is it looking for your team so far?
It’s looking far better than I expected – I thought we’d start slowly as we had to build a squad almost from scratch and it would take time for us to gel. Instead, we’ve really hit the ground running and things couldn’t have gone much better!
2 – We are noticing that some clubs are struggling with attendances, are you back anywhere near to your pre-Covid attendances?
We’ve more or less recovered to our pre-Covid levels – we’ve historically taken stick for our home attendances anyway so it’s not hard for us to get back to where we were. Also, the administration had a big impact on things – a lot of fans saw how close we were to losing the Club and have reconnected, while others have picked up on the feelgood factor that the new owners have brought.
3- We note that many clubs are going across to digital tickets and cashless stadiums and this has caused major problems for fans, is this something that has affected you as a fan, home or away?
For the first couple of games, particularly the pre-season friendlies, there were longer queues than usual on the concourse, but that was probably as much to do with staffing levels as it was the move to cashless.
4 – Every club has played about half the teams in League 1, who do you think is the best and the worst team you have played so far?
The best team so far for me has been Rotherham – they were all over us for about 65 minutes but just couldn’t find the goal and it took an inspired substitution by the gaffer to get us into that game, that paid off in the end with a stoppage time winner. The worst so far has been Cheltenham, we managed to beat them without getting out of second gear, and they only really came into the game when it was too late.
5 – In our forthcoming game what sort of style can we expect to see from your team?
It’s taken us a while to settle into a style, but now you can expect wing play. With McClean’s pace and Lang’s creativity, expect us to get the ball out wide to them.
6 – Is there any current MK Dons player that you would like to see playing for your team?
You’ve got a pretty young squad overall, but I remember Josh McEachran playing for us on loan from Chelsea and putting in a decent performance – I’d love to see him back in a Latics shirt!
7 – Every lower league club fear that the big boys are monitoring their players, is there anybody in your team that is attracting unwanted attention, and might be lured away in January?
We’ve got almost a brand new squad so I’d be surprised if many of the new signings were tempted away in the January window. That said, Will Keane got his first international call-up this month and if the Republic of Ireland scouts have picked up on him, there might be a few clubs tempted to make a move for him.
8 – Is there anyone in your team that we should really fear as a potential game changer?
Charlie Wyke – I expected him to be a target man when we signed him but his work rate in the opponents’ half of the pitch is amazing. If he’s not on the end of a chance, you can expect him to play a massive part in creating it.
9 – Can you predict where you think your club will finish at the end of the season, and where the MK Dons will finish?
It’s very competitive at the top this season, but I think with the way we’ve started this season we have to be confident of a Top 2 finish, barring any serious injuries to the first team. You guys have started well too, but I’ve noticed a little dip in recent games. If you can bounce back from that quickly, you should still be in the running for Top 6.
10 – Many thanks for taking part, all we need now is your prediction for the game?
After Saturday’s result against Bolton, I think we’re capable of beating anyone at the moment! But there’s always the risk of overconfidence and while I think we’ve got enough to win; the Dons will make us work for it. I’ll go 2-1 to the Tics.
