Played For Both - Wigan Athletic And Stevenage FC

 

This week Paul Thorp takes a delve into the archives to discover that, despite never having met on a football field, there are connections between the two clubs.   

Wigan Athletic and Stevenage – there are a number of players who have played for both clubs, including:

Kell Watts - Alex Gilby – Michael Love – Drew Broughton – Ryan Kirby – Jamie Barnwell-Edinboro – Neil Mustoe – Alex Revell – Paul Fairclough – Dave Beasant – Phil Edwards – Kevin Sheldon – Jamie Jones

This week I’m going to start by naming the legend first... and that is Jamie Jones, not the snooker player, not the DJ, but the guy that played 117 games for the Latics over the course of 6 years and won the league one title in 2017/18. 

Jamie Jones

Jones also watched from the bench as we won it in 2021/22, he did play 11 times that season, but only in the cups ties. Sticking with us through thick and thin, selling his league one winners medal and donating the proceeds to the Save the Latics Crowdfunder, before getting it gifted back to him. He even explored a bid to save us himself at one point.

Jamie Jones is the only player in this list to move directly between the two clubs, a solid pro for Latics, club captain, and I’m certainly not implying he's an alcoholic when I say that one of the things he's most remembered for at Latics is the fact that when he wants a drink he's having a drink.

Taking the more trodden route of playing for Latics before Stevenage, Alex Gilby who went to there via MK Dons and Charlton after he left us.

Five players who were at Latics in the 90's before finding themselves at Stevenage later in their careers, Ryan Kirby, Drew Broughton, Michael Love and Jamie Barnwell-Edinboro, and I’m glad I'm not paying by the letter to put that surname on the back of a shirt.

The fifth man on the 90's list is Neil Mustoe. He played for the Latics in 1998, just, a single 88th minute sub appearance in the 3-0 Football League trophy win against Rotherham. At Stevenage he went one better making two substitute appearance in Conference games, one in the 87th minute, and one in the 68th minute. Which with no starts, and about half an hour of total football between the two clubs, does qualify him on the played for both list.

Not however Alex O'Rielly, who appears to have signed for both clubs and played for neither.

Back to more recent times, Alex Revell. A short stint on loan at the Latics from Cardiff City in the 2015/16 season, netting once in six League and one Football League Trophy appearances.

Revell finished his career at Stevenage, retiring in July 2019, moving into coaching with them. Promoted to manager in February 2020 until the end of the season, which, due to Covid, was only two more games. Revell then found himself relieved of his managerial duties in November of 2021, having had a month off for Christmas he found himself a new job in early January 2022. He was appointed as Youth Team manager, at, you guessed it Stevenage. Which he combined with a spell back out of retirement, eventually becoming first team coach under Steve Evans where we currently find him.

Two more that don't strictly qualify, but did make the leap from Latics players to Stevenage coaching staff, Paul Fairclough who played for Latics in the 1970's, before becoming manager of Stevenage for 10 years in two spells from 1990-98 and again 2000-2002.

Finally, taking the roundabout route from Latics player to Stevenage coaching staff, Dave Beasant of FA Cup penalty saving fame. He only played one EFL Trophy game for Latics in 2002, but it counts. By 2014 he was goalkeeping coach for Stevenage.

Injury to the first choice keeper, his son Sam, meant he found himself on the bench here and there, though never actually playing. At 56 he was on the bench for the playoff 2nd leg against "Phil Browns Southend", setting the record for the oldest professional selected in a match day squad in England. There's hope for some of us yet.

Phil Edwards was a Latics academy graduate, clearly in the days before Gregor Rioch. Not making any first team appearances at the Latics, after earning a pro contract he was sent to Morecambe on loan, where he made just the one sub appearance, before going to Accrington on a loan in a permanent deal. He made 217 appearances for the Owd Reds before heading to Stevenage for 22 games

Other players that have played for both teams include, Jamie Barnwell-Edinboro, and I’m glad I'm not paying to put that on the back of a shirt. Alex Gilby who scored 3 in 39 for Stevenage after 2 in 17 when he played for Latics in the 2016/17 season. Michael Love, who played 3 games for Latics in 1996/97 before going on to 123 games and 12 goals for Stevenage.

Drew Broughton played 4 games for Latics in 1997 on loan from Norwich, the archetypal more clubs than Rory McIlroy, more loans than a library book. Five clubs after Latics he scored 3 in 4 for Stevenage, and then went on to change clubs a total of 22 times in a 459 game career.

Kell Watts, 16 games for Stevenage in an early loan from Newcastle, is of course currently in his second loan spell with the Latics.

Paul Thorp

Grab a listen to the latest PWU Latics podcast featuring a preview of the Stevenage game.