Any Previous? - Latics v Portsmouth

Latics and Pompey have met 21 times down the years, the first of which came in our inaugural season as a Football League club, 26 September 1978, over 13,000 fans at Fratton Park witnessed the Division Four encounter, Pompey coming out winners by the only goal of a very tight game.

 

We won the return fixture at Springfield Park 2:0 in February 1979, our paths didn’t cross too many times over the following seasons and it would be another 26 years before we would taste victory again against Portsmouth, this time the two clubs meeting in the Premier League, Bonfire Night, 2005, Pascal Chimbonda and Jason Roberts scoring the goals that took the Latics up to 2^nd spot in the top flight.

 

Always a tight affair, just 40 goals scored in the 21 fixtures, and a fixture where home advantage doesn’t appear to count for much, three of our six victories against Pompey coming down on the south coast, whilst they have won five times up in Wigan.

 

Last season played these facts out, an early season win for the Latics at Fratton Park by 1:2, then Pompey winning by the only goal of the game at the DW Stadium back in April this year.

 

 

Stand Out Game - Portsmouth 1:2 Latics (Evans & James)

I’ve picked this game for the unashamed reason of having another look at Tom James’ free kick, simply stunning, a glimmer of hope in a period of despair.

 

We had lost our opening two League 1 fixtures against Ipswich and Gillingham, knocked out of the EFL Cup by Fleetwood, deep in administration, no fans in the grounds, seemingly no hope then we go and pull a very good performance out of the bag and seal it with a goal of the season contender.

Latics Team:

Jones;

James, Cameron, Fox, Pearce (Gardner);

Perrie, Merrie (Crankshaw), Evans;

Solomon-Otabor (Massey), Naismith;

Garner

 

Unused Subs: Evans, Obi, Long, Jolley

 

Highlights – Portsmouth 1:2 Wigan Athletic

 

 

Full Record v Portsmouth

Played – 21

Won – 6

Drawn – 4

Lost – 11

 

Last Six Meetings

Competition	Date	Result
League 1	05 Apr 2021	Latics 0:1 Portsmouth
League 1	26 Sep 2020	Portsmouth 1:2 Latics
League 1	02 Apr 2018	Portsmouth 2:1 Latics
League 1	26 Aug 2017	Latics 1:1 Portsmouth
Premier League	14 Apr 2010	Latics 0:0 Portsmouth
Premier League	31 Oct 2009	Portsmouth 4:0 Latics