Opposition Lowdown: Shaun Maloney's Midtable Wigan Athletic

Reading hit the road this weekend, travelling north to take on Wigan Athletic. Join us as we take a look at the opposition.

Form

Wigan Athletic finished midtable in League One last season, ending in 12th place on 62 points. They would have finished in 10th place, had it not been for an eight-point deduction due to financial issues.

This marks their second straight season in League One, having been relegated from the Championship alongside Reading in 2022/23.

The Latics currently sit around midtable, sitting 14th in the league after 10 wins, nine draws and 13 losses so far this season. Unbeaten in their last three games, their last five matches have seen them secure one win, three draws and one loss.

Wigan come into this weekend’s game off the back of a 2-1 home win against playoff hopefuls Huddersfield Town in midweek, after goals from Dale Taylor and Owen Dale.

The two sides faced each other last August, with Reading claiming a 2-0 win at the Select Car Leasing Stadium after goals from Charlie Savage and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan.

The boss

Shaun Maloney: Maloney became Wigan manager in January 2023, taking over from Kolo Toure, who was sacked after less than two months in charge.

Maloney played for the likes of Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan and Hull City prior to his retirement in 2017. The Scotsman also played for his country, picking up 47 caps and scoring seven goals for the Tartan Army.

Following his retirement, Maloney had coaching spells at Celtic and the Belgium national team, before securing his first managerial role at Hibernian in 2021. He spent five months in charge at Hibs before his sacking in April 2022, following six wins, six draws and seven losses in 19 games.

Maloney was unable to save Wigan from relegation from the Championship in his first season, and guided the Latics to a 12th-placed finish in League One in his first full season with the club.

The 42-year-old likes his sides to play attacking, dynamic football.

Squad

Wigan lost one of their star players in the January transfer window, in Thelo Aasgaard, who joined Championship Luton Town.

They did however manage to bring in seven players, with four signing permanent deals and three joining on loan. Those joining permanently included defenders Josh Robinson and Jon Mellish, who signed from Arsenal and Carlisle United respectively; midfielder Ronan Darcy, who joined from League One Crawley Town; and forward Joe Hungbo, who signed from German side FC Nurnberg.

Their loan signings included Blackpool midfielder Ollie Norburn and forwards Will Goodwin and Owen Dale, who both joined from Oxford United.

Wigan are expected to be without defender Luke Chambers and midfielders Tyrese Francois, Joe Adams, Matt Smith and Kai Payne this weekend. Forward Chris Sze is also expected to miss out, while defender James Carragher may return from illness.

Predicted lineup

Tickle, Sibbick, Aimson, Kerr, Mellish, Adeeko, Norburn, J Smith, Darcy, Dale, Taylor

Key player

4. Will Aimson: Defender Aimson joined Wigan last July, signing from Exeter City for an undisclosed fee.

He started his career in the youth setup at Eastleigh before joining the youth team at Hull City. Aimson never made a first-team appearance for the Tigers but had a number of loan spells, representing the likes of Tamworth, Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool.

His loan spell at Blackpool was made permanent in 2016 and he spent two and a half years at the Tangerines, before signing for Bury. Moves to Plymouth Argyle and Bolton Wanderers followed before Aimson signed for Exeter City in 2023. In his year and a half with the Grecians, he made 61 appearances, scoring four goals.

The 30-year-old has been in the matchday squad for all of Wigan’s league games so far this season, with the defender already racking up 34 appearances across all competitions.

A centre-back by trade, Aimson is an effective tackler who also exhibits strong passing skills.

One to watch

28. Dale Taylor: Forward Taylor joined Wigan on a season-long loan deal from Premier League Nottingham Forest last summer.

He started his youth career in his homeland of Northern Ireland in the youth setups of Greenisland and Linfield. Taylor signed for the Nottingham Forest academy in 2020, before signing his first pro deal with the club later that year.

A regular scorer in their youth teams, Taylor made his professional debut for Forest in 2022, coming on as a substitute in an EFL Cup tie against Grimsby.

He has had a number of loan spells to gain first-team experience, spending time in League One with both Burton Albion and Wycombe Wanderers, where he spent all of last season.

The 21-year-old has played a part in 33 Wigan games so far this season, scoring eight goals. The Northern Irishman has also represented his country at youth and senior level, having won eight caps since his full debut in November 2021.

Taylor has been playing as a striker this season, but can also play in the number 10 role or on the wing.