The Wigan Athletic Herald
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A debut Reggie Walsh will not forget — 7.59
There is exactly one of these per career and it does not usually go like this. 0 on the scoresheet, 7.59 beside the name, and a crowd that had never seen him before chanting it by the end.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Daniel Phillips arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Daniel Phillips has, at Wigan Athletic, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Market17 Aug 2026
Wigan Athletic say no — this time
The offer from Stoke City for Sam Tickle was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
Graduation day at Wigan Athletic
2 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
The crowd has taken to Joe Taylor
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Market17 Aug 2026
One of our own: Richard Cook joins the Wigan Athletic first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Richard Cook is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market17 Aug 2026
Paul Young steps up from the Wigan Athletic academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Paul Young has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A masterclass from Joe Taylor
Marked 8.10 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match15 Aug 2026
Wigan Athletic hit back inside 2 minutes
Bradford City held the lead for 2 minutes, which is not long enough to enjoy it. Wigan Athletic answered before the celebration had properly finished, and the shape of the afternoon changed with it.
In brief
- Squad A falling-out at Wigan Athletic
- Squad The formation has left Daniel Phillips behind
- Squad 7 new faces, and Wigan Athletic are still learning each other