Latics Listen - Wigan Athletic Podcast

The nation's 'lockdown' due to the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted lives in many different ways, but for James Moorcroft, a 27-year-old professional boxer from Hindley, it's re-alligned his focus on his sport and given him more determination than ever to overturn January's first pro defeat to Scottish fighter Martin Harkin. Now James isn't just any boxer, he's been up close an personal with the Wigan Athletic squad in the past, with the help of another Wigan son, Lightning Lee Blundell at Blundell's Gym. Latics have trained at Blundell's Boxing Gym on a number of occasions, and in this episode, James lifts the lid on who impressed him, but we couldn't coax him into telling us which member of the team sat on a chair at the punch bag... As well as some light-hearted Latics chat and his memories from his days as a junior member at the club, James explained that he's struck up a bond with a number of the players since training at Blundell's, including Kal Naismith, who he holds in high regard. Setting out his aims for the year ahead, James also said it would be the dream to fight in front of a crowd at the DW Stadium during his career... who knows what might be on the horizon? Catch this week's episode via SoundCloud above, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout by searching for Latics Listen. If you'd like to feature on a future episode of the podcast or have someone to nominate for a chat with our team, get in touch by emailing laticslisten@wiganathletic.com [laticslisten@wiganathletic.com]

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world we live in, but it's safe to say there have been lots of positives among what has been and continues to be a challenging time for everyone. A glimmer of light within the Wigan Athletic community has been the emergence of eSports Wigan Athletic, our VPG (Virtual Pro Gaming) FIFA 20 pro club, which has united a group of Latics supporters and fellow football fans, spearheaded by Latics fan and YouTuber, Louis Ellis. Louis, or LE96z [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5aNohrM3xbOeIMWgl1yvdQ] as he's know to his 111,000 subscribers, was contacted by our media team about representing the club on its first eSports voyage - so in our episode 27 of Latics Listen, he's going to explain exactly what eSports is, exactly how he helped to form our team and exactly how it's benefited a group of like-minded football fans, with a positive impact on mental health. eSports Wigan Athletic compete in the VPG England Partnered English Premier [https://virtualprogaming.com/league/English-Premier] and at the time of recording sit ninth out of 18, having won nine of their opening 21 matches. Be sure to follow the team on Twitter @eSportsWigan [https://twitter.com/EsportsWigan] for all of the latest updates, with every game streamed live on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursday on the official Wigan Athletic YouTube channel [http://www.youtube.com/wiganathletic]. As is now customary on our Latics Listen episodes, we also asked Louis about his favourite Latics things, which bizarrely finds us listening to a story about a hotel fire, Leighton Baines and an embarrassing Dad - yep, it's as strange as it sounds. Catch this week's episode via SoundCloud above, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout by searching for Latics Listen. If you'd like to feature on a future episode of the podcast or have someone to nominate for a chat with our team, get in touch by emailing laticslisten@wiganathletic.com [laticslisten@wiganathletic.com]

In our third instalment of Latics Listen during 'lockdown', Progress with Unity podcast presenter Simon Gregory picks up his 'hat-trick ball' from the Latics Listen 'studio', making his third appearance on the pod, as he tells us how grateful he's been to fellow Latics fans for their personal support during this challenging time, as well as some hurdles to overcome. Later in the episode we find out everything about Simon's top three Latics players, managers, kits, matches and fellow supporters in our regular end of the pod segment. Catch this week's episode via SoundCloud above, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout by searching for Latics Listen. If you'd like to feature on a future episode of the podcast or have someone to nominate for a chat with our team, get in touch by emailing laticslisten@wiganathletic.com

Picture this, you're an avid (and relatively successful) Football Manager player (sure we can all relate to taking a team from the National League North to the Champions League final, right?) - but, one day you get the call for real (ok, virtually for real then) to become the boss for your childhood football club. Well, that was the case for Jordan Coyle back in April when he was contacted about becoming our Football Manager 20 EFL Cup gaffer, as clubs from across the three EFL divisions helped to form a positive distraction from the challenging climate we're in, whilst supporting the life-changing work carried out by mental health charity, Mind. Of course Jordan said yes, managing your club and doing it for a good cause, what's not to love? Well, perhaps calls for 'Coyle Out' or 'why's he bringing Garner on?' - only for Joe Garner to arrive from the bench in Jordan's first round tie against Rotherham United, subsequently bagging him a hat-trick in a 5-1 win! Success continued into the second round with another high-scoring victory, 4-1 this time against Newport County, but Jordan's campaign was cut short in the last 16, a narrow 1-0 defeat to Swansea City. It was well worth a catch up with Jordan to speak about his time 'in charge' of Latics, but also to see how he's been getting on and learn more about his following of Latics, something we're keen to share with YOU, our loyal supporters! To see each episode out, we'll also be asking each supporter some 'Top Threes' - finding out about favourite players, managers, kits, matches and, with Jordan, seeing who he recommends Latics supporters should follow on Twitter. Catch this week's episode via SoundCloud above, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout by searching for Latics Listen. If you'd like to feature on a future episode of the podcast or have someone to nominate for a chat with our team, get in touch by emailing laticslisten@wiganathletic.com [laticslisten@wiganathletic.com] In episode 26, Progress With Unity podcast's Simon Gregory will be collecting his hat-trick ball, as he joins Nick Taylor via video call to talk about life without live football during lockdown, the challenges he has faced on a personal level through the Coronavirus Crisis and the importance of the support received from fellow Latics fans.

We're back! Latics Latics has returned and we're kick starting the season by chatting to YOU, our loyal supporters! A Latics supporter since the 1970s and former steward, George Chilvers was the first supporter we called via Zoom. A season card holder who goes to matches with his son Stefan and grandson Ben, George isn't just a long-serving fan of the club, but also forms a key part in bringing our history to life in full colour. George's skill in colourising black and white images, both Latics and wider football and sport, breathes new life and character into some of our oldest documented images - a fascinating subject which can be seen in all of its glory on his Facebook page - Colourised by George [https://www.facebook.com/Garswoodlatic/] - with particular focus on his Wigan Athletic images [https://www.facebook.com/pg/Garswoodlatic/photos/?tab=album&album_id=336861603933328&ref=page_internal] a must see. As well as giving us an insight into his passion away from the pitch, George relays his story of supporting Latics, including how the community spirit and sense of family still captures his imagination to this day. To see each episode out, we'll also be asking each supporter some 'Top Threes' - finding out about favourite players, managers, kits, matches and fellow supporters met through the love of Latics. Catch this week's episode via SoundCloud above, or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout by searching for Latics Listen. If you'd like to feature on a future episode of the podcast or have someone to nominate for a chat with our team, get in touch by emailing laticslisten@wiganathletic.com [laticslisten@wiganathletic.com]