Wigan Athletic 1-1 Chelsea - Barclays Premier League
Saturday 17th December 2011 - DW Stadium - Attendance: 18,320
So with City picking up a 1-0 win at Southend on the Friday night, me & Carribob decided to do some ground hopping & headed across the Pennines to enjoy the Premier League game between struggling Wigan Athletic & AVB's mixed form Chelsea.
It was a change from our usual surroundings of VP with James, Jonny & Company back home in Bradford & Ben on the south coast with my cousin James.
Our journey started with one of the weirdest occurrences of my life so far. Upon leaving the train at Bingley to meet Carribob I was listening to Jack Sparrow by Lonely Island to which I was then greeted by a man dressed as Jack Sparrow! (No Debra, I won't bring him home for you & Mum!)
So, after heading on leg one of our journey & stopping for a McDonalds we headed on leg two which was the train from East Pudsey to Manchester. The only stop on the way was Huddersfield to which me & Carribob was greeted by yet another unusual sight. A man was jumping the fence to the side of the main terminal in which time during this process his pants & boxers had found there way round his ankles so the train was greeted by the sight of his bare backside & well you know!
After a quick run across Manchester Piccadilly to leg three, the train to Salford. We boarded the train & found ourselves stuck at Salford Crescent for half an hour waiting for the last train to Wigan Wallgate which we then caught & got ourselves to our final destination.
A 15 minute walk through Wigan & we found ourselves at the DW Stadium, home of Wigan Athletic & Wigan Warriors. After a quick trip to the shop & ticket office we found ourselves loitering for the opening of the turnstiles so we took a trip to the players lounge where Ali Al Habsi kindly signed my programme & the stewards unkindly ignored our requests for the Chelsea side.
However, before the players lounge we were spotted by the crew of ESPN's Talk of the Terrace. They saw our Wigan scarves & presumed we were Wigan fans! So they interviewed us & after Carribob messed up his opportunity, I stepped up to the plate & did a great job & was told my 'Roberto Martinez Come Dine With Me' would be on Talk of the Terrace this upcoming Monday if not Sunday night so take a watch!
So we headed into the ground & after a wait of 45 minutes & the eating of a rather tasty Hot Dog & drink of coke (£4 for the two, take note City!) the teams entered the stadium & the game got under way.
The first half was a majority Wigan affair with Chelsea struggling. The latics should have been awarded a penalty early on when Victor Moses was brought down in the area but after it was not given Chelsea went up the other end with Gary Caldwell making two fantastic clearances from Daniel Sturridge in the area.
Some more hard work from Wigan saw Victor Moses, David Jones & Connor Sammon presented with chances but neither of the three took them on board. Meanwhile John Terry put a 25 yard drive just wide of Al Habsi's post.
But the first real attempt on goal came from the next Chelsea corner. Jose Bosingwa sent in a cross following a short corner from Juan Mata with David Jones making a clearing header & Oriol Romeu smashed a 25 yard first time effort directly to the bottom corner with Ali Al Habsi getting down to make a fantastic save, tipping the ball wide for another Chelsea corner.
Wigan then took the rest of the first half by the scruff of the neck with numerous attacks. Connor Sammon having a shot on target blocked by England & Chelsea captain JT, James McCarthy then had an effort blocked by Raul Miereles. The Wigan onslaught continued with Figueroa firing wide & Branislav Ivanovic blocking another Victor Moses attempt. Wigan then finished the half when Victor Moses narrowly missed the ball knowing the slightest touch from the Connor Sammon cross would have sent the home side into half time with a valuable lead.
Not much to report from half time except Kalou & Malouda doing warm ups & Kalou then coming on to replace Oriol Romeu so to the second half.
Chelsea started the second half like a house on fire with Wigan's defence clearing various opportunities from Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, Jose Bosingwa & Didier Drogba before Victor Moses set himself up for a beautiful chance. After some good work to beat Jose Bosingwa & then some unbelivable tekkers to get the ball past JT we all though he'd slot home for 1-0 before somehow managing to fire the ball out for a corner.
But Chelsea then finally got the goal in the 59th minute when a some good Chelsea work saw Ashley Cole send a ball across & Daniel Sturridge brought it down beautifully & fire past Ali Al Habsi to break the deadlock & put Chelsea into a 1-0 lead.
Petr Cech then found himself busy saving shots from Maynor Figueroa & Mohamed Diame before Martinez brought on plan B if you will with Hugo Rodallega & ex-Chelsea man Franco Di Santo coming off the bench after Chelsea went more defensive bring John Obi Mikel on for Juan Mata. During which time Lampard was forced to go off for treatment with a bloody mouth following JT near injuring himself trying to bring down Victor Moses.
The game looked like it was pattering out with the only moment of note of the next 5-10 minutes saw Florent Malouda come on to replace Daniel Sturridge before Wigan nearly got back into it. Petr Cech slid in & brought down Hugo Rodallega before Jordi Gomez got his legs tangled while trying to shoot into the empty net before the ball bounced to Franco Di Santo who fired wide & left Ashley Cole down in the process.
Then it came, some fantastic work by Mohamed Diame & Hugo Rodallega saw a shot fire through Ashley Cole legs & Petr Cech could only parry it away to the feet of Spaniard Jordi Gomez who fired home from 3 yards to bring the home side level & rescue a much needed point for Wigan Athletic in their fight against relegation to the football league.
Martin Atkinson then brought the game to the end after Chelsea's Salomon Kalou & Wigan's Franco Di Santo both wasted great opportunities to take the three points.
Post match we headed round past the players entrance where we joined the quite large crowd & one of my rare highlights of the past 12 months occurred. Now, every young man grows up idolising a footballer or two. My Grandad idolised Sir Stanley Matthews, my Dad idolised Ryan Giggs & I idolised David Beckham & Frank Lampard. So imagine how excited I got when Frank Lampard signed my programme & had a conversation with me as Carribob got a sneaky picture in for me! Great stuff!
After catching the train back to Manchester we got on the train heading towards East Pudsey where we endured some of the funniest train conversations. Between Manchester & Littleborough the older guard & the young drunken ones had some encounters what left me & Carribob in stitches before the final leg of our journey home between Bradford & that place saw the topic of 'cock holding' come into conversation. And after the train home from L***s we finally got home & our day at the Premier League came to an end.
So, Chapalar's XI:
Was it worth the money? To watch a great end to end game at the highest level of the game as well as meet one of my boyhood heroes in Frank Lampard? YES!
Wigan Athletic MOTM - Connor Sammon - There was a lot of heroes out there for Wigan but none stuck out for me as much as Connor Sammon, great link up play with Dave Jones & Victor Moses with the odd chance on goal & defensive duty as well before being substituted.
Chelsea MOTM - Daniel Sturridge - The young & upcoming England striker showed some great work throughout the game with long runs down the wing, great link up play with the midfield & attack as well as a well taken finish for Chelsea's goal before being substituted.
Quote of the Match - There was a lot to choose from but the winner has to be this from the train home - Drunken Lass: "Possibly pregnant woman in need of a seat." Old Man: "Let's hope your bloody waters don't break between now & Rochdale then!"
Goal of the Match - Daniel Sturridge's goal for Chelsea, fantastic assist from Ashley Cole & a well taken strike by the England hitman.
Moment of the Match - Not during the match but the bloke at Huddersfield train station who's fare dodging technique left him rather exposed & in possible hot water with the transport police if he was caught!
Fan of the Match - The rather over passionate Wigan fan who nearly caused himself a heart attack with his reaction to Sammon being one of the two Wigan players substituted for Di Santo & Rodallega.
Chant of the Match - "You do know it's not Rugby?" - Wigan fans decide to mock Petr Cech's head & facial gear during the first half.
FB Status of the Match - On Talk of the Terrace on Monday, met Frank Lampard & seen Jonny Mac in train station on way home... Not a bad day! Oh & Wigan deserved the point! - I reflect on the day late into the evening.
Tweet of the Match - @LaticsOfficial Can the bar staff be subjected to the same rigorous checks as Roy Keane? Celebrated an Arsenal goal while I was buying a pie - One Wigan fan fails to see the funny side of the bar staff's celebrations! As anyone pointed out they were playing Chelsea not Arsenal yet?
FATWATCH - Chelsea team coach driver, You could tell he was enjoying that pie!
Saturday 17th December 2011 - DW Stadium - Attendance: 18,320
So with City picking up a 1-0 win at Southend on the Friday night, me & Carribob decided to do some ground hopping & headed across the Pennines to enjoy the Premier League game between struggling Wigan Athletic & AVB's mixed form Chelsea.
It was a change from our usual surroundings of VP with James, Jonny & Company back home in Bradford & Ben on the south coast with my cousin James.
Our journey started with one of the weirdest occurrences of my life so far. Upon leaving the train at Bingley to meet Carribob I was listening to Jack Sparrow by Lonely Island to which I was then greeted by a man dressed as Jack Sparrow! (No Debra, I won't bring him home for you & Mum!)
So, after heading on leg one of our journey & stopping for a McDonalds we headed on leg two which was the train from East Pudsey to Manchester. The only stop on the way was Huddersfield to which me & Carribob was greeted by yet another unusual sight. A man was jumping the fence to the side of the main terminal in which time during this process his pants & boxers had found there way round his ankles so the train was greeted by the sight of his bare backside & well you know!
After a quick run across Manchester Piccadilly to leg three, the train to Salford. We boarded the train & found ourselves stuck at Salford Crescent for half an hour waiting for the last train to Wigan Wallgate which we then caught & got ourselves to our final destination.
A 15 minute walk through Wigan & we found ourselves at the DW Stadium, home of Wigan Athletic & Wigan Warriors. After a quick trip to the shop & ticket office we found ourselves loitering for the opening of the turnstiles so we took a trip to the players lounge where Ali Al Habsi kindly signed my programme & the stewards unkindly ignored our requests for the Chelsea side.
However, before the players lounge we were spotted by the crew of ESPN's Talk of the Terrace. They saw our Wigan scarves & presumed we were Wigan fans! So they interviewed us & after Carribob messed up his opportunity, I stepped up to the plate & did a great job & was told my 'Roberto Martinez Come Dine With Me' would be on Talk of the Terrace this upcoming Monday if not Sunday night so take a watch!
So we headed into the ground & after a wait of 45 minutes & the eating of a rather tasty Hot Dog & drink of coke (£4 for the two, take note City!) the teams entered the stadium & the game got under way.
The first half was a majority Wigan affair with Chelsea struggling. The latics should have been awarded a penalty early on when Victor Moses was brought down in the area but after it was not given Chelsea went up the other end with Gary Caldwell making two fantastic clearances from Daniel Sturridge in the area.
Some more hard work from Wigan saw Victor Moses, David Jones & Connor Sammon presented with chances but neither of the three took them on board. Meanwhile John Terry put a 25 yard drive just wide of Al Habsi's post.
But the first real attempt on goal came from the next Chelsea corner. Jose Bosingwa sent in a cross following a short corner from Juan Mata with David Jones making a clearing header & Oriol Romeu smashed a 25 yard first time effort directly to the bottom corner with Ali Al Habsi getting down to make a fantastic save, tipping the ball wide for another Chelsea corner.
Wigan then took the rest of the first half by the scruff of the neck with numerous attacks. Connor Sammon having a shot on target blocked by England & Chelsea captain JT, James McCarthy then had an effort blocked by Raul Miereles. The Wigan onslaught continued with Figueroa firing wide & Branislav Ivanovic blocking another Victor Moses attempt. Wigan then finished the half when Victor Moses narrowly missed the ball knowing the slightest touch from the Connor Sammon cross would have sent the home side into half time with a valuable lead.
Not much to report from half time except Kalou & Malouda doing warm ups & Kalou then coming on to replace Oriol Romeu so to the second half.
Chelsea started the second half like a house on fire with Wigan's defence clearing various opportunities from Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, Jose Bosingwa & Didier Drogba before Victor Moses set himself up for a beautiful chance. After some good work to beat Jose Bosingwa & then some unbelivable tekkers to get the ball past JT we all though he'd slot home for 1-0 before somehow managing to fire the ball out for a corner.
But Chelsea then finally got the goal in the 59th minute when a some good Chelsea work saw Ashley Cole send a ball across & Daniel Sturridge brought it down beautifully & fire past Ali Al Habsi to break the deadlock & put Chelsea into a 1-0 lead.
Petr Cech then found himself busy saving shots from Maynor Figueroa & Mohamed Diame before Martinez brought on plan B if you will with Hugo Rodallega & ex-Chelsea man Franco Di Santo coming off the bench after Chelsea went more defensive bring John Obi Mikel on for Juan Mata. During which time Lampard was forced to go off for treatment with a bloody mouth following JT near injuring himself trying to bring down Victor Moses.
The game looked like it was pattering out with the only moment of note of the next 5-10 minutes saw Florent Malouda come on to replace Daniel Sturridge before Wigan nearly got back into it. Petr Cech slid in & brought down Hugo Rodallega before Jordi Gomez got his legs tangled while trying to shoot into the empty net before the ball bounced to Franco Di Santo who fired wide & left Ashley Cole down in the process.
Then it came, some fantastic work by Mohamed Diame & Hugo Rodallega saw a shot fire through Ashley Cole legs & Petr Cech could only parry it away to the feet of Spaniard Jordi Gomez who fired home from 3 yards to bring the home side level & rescue a much needed point for Wigan Athletic in their fight against relegation to the football league.
Martin Atkinson then brought the game to the end after Chelsea's Salomon Kalou & Wigan's Franco Di Santo both wasted great opportunities to take the three points.
Post match we headed round past the players entrance where we joined the quite large crowd & one of my rare highlights of the past 12 months occurred. Now, every young man grows up idolising a footballer or two. My Grandad idolised Sir Stanley Matthews, my Dad idolised Ryan Giggs & I idolised David Beckham & Frank Lampard. So imagine how excited I got when Frank Lampard signed my programme & had a conversation with me as Carribob got a sneaky picture in for me! Great stuff!
After catching the train back to Manchester we got on the train heading towards East Pudsey where we endured some of the funniest train conversations. Between Manchester & Littleborough the older guard & the young drunken ones had some encounters what left me & Carribob in stitches before the final leg of our journey home between Bradford & that place saw the topic of 'cock holding' come into conversation. And after the train home from L***s we finally got home & our day at the Premier League came to an end.
So, Chapalar's XI:
Was it worth the money? To watch a great end to end game at the highest level of the game as well as meet one of my boyhood heroes in Frank Lampard? YES!
Wigan Athletic MOTM - Connor Sammon - There was a lot of heroes out there for Wigan but none stuck out for me as much as Connor Sammon, great link up play with Dave Jones & Victor Moses with the odd chance on goal & defensive duty as well before being substituted.
Chelsea MOTM - Daniel Sturridge - The young & upcoming England striker showed some great work throughout the game with long runs down the wing, great link up play with the midfield & attack as well as a well taken finish for Chelsea's goal before being substituted.
Quote of the Match - There was a lot to choose from but the winner has to be this from the train home - Drunken Lass: "Possibly pregnant woman in need of a seat." Old Man: "Let's hope your bloody waters don't break between now & Rochdale then!"
Goal of the Match - Daniel Sturridge's goal for Chelsea, fantastic assist from Ashley Cole & a well taken strike by the England hitman.
Moment of the Match - Not during the match but the bloke at Huddersfield train station who's fare dodging technique left him rather exposed & in possible hot water with the transport police if he was caught!
Fan of the Match - The rather over passionate Wigan fan who nearly caused himself a heart attack with his reaction to Sammon being one of the two Wigan players substituted for Di Santo & Rodallega.
Chant of the Match - "You do know it's not Rugby?" - Wigan fans decide to mock Petr Cech's head & facial gear during the first half.
FB Status of the Match - On Talk of the Terrace on Monday, met Frank Lampard & seen Jonny Mac in train station on way home... Not a bad day! Oh & Wigan deserved the point! - I reflect on the day late into the evening.
Tweet of the Match - @LaticsOfficial Can the bar staff be subjected to the same rigorous checks as Roy Keane? Celebrated an Arsenal goal while I was buying a pie - One Wigan fan fails to see the funny side of the bar staff's celebrations! As anyone pointed out they were playing Chelsea not Arsenal yet?
FATWATCH - Chelsea team coach driver, You could tell he was enjoying that pie!