In a soccer world that is becoming increasing dominated by the biggest of clubs throwing gaudy amounts of money around on their way to trophy after trophy, it was only understandable that this season's FA Cup final of Manchester City and Wigan was branded as something of a David v. Goliath battle, and rightfully so. Manchester City, thanks to new ownership in recent years, an influx of cash and resultantly some of the best players in the world, have quickly solidified their place as one of the top clubs in England, while Wigan, contrastingly, have become oddly famous for dramatically escaping relegation seemingly every season while scraping by on the most meager of budgets as compared to some of the renowned rivals.
No, the apparent gulf in class between the two sides gracing the pitch at Wembley couldn't have been any more vast, and one would have been hard pressed to find anyone who would have actually given Wigan a chance to win, much less remain competitive with last season's Premier League champions. However, as we've seen in years past, magical things can happen during an FA Cup final; just ask former Liverpool and Wimbledon players about that.
Alas, as the ninety minute script came to be written this past Saturday, to say that Wigan needed any sort of magic or divine intervention on their way to glory would have been nothing short of insulting to Roberto Martinez's men. This year's final was hardly a case of the underdog getting a goal out of nowhere and somehow hanging on until the final whistle, as we saw when Blackburn beat Arsenal at the Emirates earlier in this year's competition.
Instead, and with all credit to Roberto Martinez, Wigan dared to come out and play the game they're most comfortable with instead of shirking in response to their wealthier opponents. In doing so, Wigan controlled large spells of the game, comfortably maintained possession, and could have easily had a couple of goals on the board, whether through Callum McManaman or the penalty Roger Espinoza should have been awarded, by the time Ben Watson headed in the fateful winner that will live on Wigan lore for generations to come. On the strength of this performance, the unknowning spectator would have hardly guessed that it was Wigan in the lower reaches of the league instead of Manchester City.
In winning the FA Cup as Wigan's owner, fate ultimately came around full circle for Dave Whelan, who broke his leg in the 1960 FA Cup final while playing for a Blackburn side that went on to lose to Wolves 3-0 while playing with ten men. Yes, it took 53 years for Whelan to be able to return to Wembley and capture the glory that had evaded him as a younger man, but the sheer joy written all over his face in the post-match celebrations suggested that this moment of glory was well worth the wait.
Unfortunately for Wigan, their opportunity to bask in the light of this triumph is far too short indeed, as that whole matter of staying in the Premier League will be absolutely paramount, if not daunting, this week. With results having really gone against them in the league this weekend, Wigan will realistically need to win away at Arsenal on Tuesday and at home versus Aston Villa on Sunday. Romanticism would lead one to think that they can do it, but reality may prove to be something else entirely.
Regardless of their fate in the Premier League, this season should really be solely remembered for that fantastic day out at Wembley and all that it represented for the club and also the sport itself. Winning the FA Cup is the culmination of all of the work Dave Whelan has done to bring Wigan from being in the lower reaches of the Football League in 1995 to where they are today, and the cup win is surely a final sign of just what Roberto Martinez is capable of as a manager, even when operating on a limited budget. Wigan's victory, combined with Swansea's earlier Capital One Cup conquest, also serves to remind us that there is still a chance for the smaller clubs to stand toe to toe with the best the sport has to offer.
It remains to be seen if Martinez or some of Wigan's promising young players will be around next season, and there's a good chance that some of the familiar faces won't be around for another campaign. Either way, all of them have ensured their place in Wigan's history. They have also ensured that this year's FA Cup final will be revered as one of the most memorable of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment