Wigan Athletic's miserable Championship campaign draws to a close as they take on Rotherham United at the DW Stadium on Monday.
With relegation confirmed for the hosts, the game is about not concluding the season dead last, as everything else had already been settled. There's little to play for the visitors, who won't drop into the danger zone anymore, even if they suffer a crushing defeat.
It's a sad ending for last season's EFL League One champions. Wigan looked out of their depth, lacking a considerable amount of quality competing within the second division of English football. Greater Manchester has seen their club struggle since November, unable to make improvements in turning the season around.
In hindsight, bringing in an inexperienced Kolo Touré for the managerial role was a recipe for disaster, which ultimately sealed the Latics' fates. Shaun Maloney got his team to do relatively better, with a 23.5% win rate compared to Touré's winless run.
With only ten wins, 14 draws against 21 defeats, alongside a three-point penalty deduction from the EFL concerning late payment of player wages did not translate well. Over their last five games, Wigan has won two and lost two with a draw. After beating Millwall two weeks ago, the Tics were mathematically still in for survival.
If they captured a win against Reading and the sides above the relegation zone managed to suffer defeats, they had a glimmering chance. However, none happened, with Wigan only settling for a draw against Reading.
The Millers will retain their Championship status, having stopped their cycle of going up only to go down to League One. Getting promoted together with Wigan, Rotherham has accomplished better than their counterparts. With long-serving manager Paul Warne gone earlier in their campaign, ex-Exeter City player and manager Matt Taylor took over the vacancy.
The young manager has overseen 36 matches, with 35 league games where the South Yorkshire-based club earned 35 hard-earned points. Currently, they are in a poor run of form. With three defeats and a draw, the Millers managed their most recent win with a 1-0 tight scoreline against Middlesbrough. Earning a few vital results against West Brom, Norwich, and Burnley in April almost made them cross the barrier for safety.
Standing 20th, Rotherham remains five points safe. They will love to end the season positively against a side that was better than them last year. QPR and Huddersfield are ahead of Rotherham by a point, so with concurrent matches taking place- one can expect the Millers to climb up a few spots crossing half a century of points.
Wigan will miss having injured players in Jason Kerr, Curtis Tilt, Ben Amos, Josh Magennis, and Ashley Fletcher for the final game of this season. Rotherham will not have Sean Morrison, Grant Hall, Bailey Wright, Tyler Blackett, Conor Coventry, Shane Ferguson, and Chiedozie Ogbene making the away trip for their injuries.
Expert Insight: With few irrelevant trinkets on the line, a game of less intensity can take place. Wigan won the reverse fixture, but that doesn't mean they can find the game easy. Rotherham could earn a few points to climb places, but considering they also don't have much on the line, it could be a contest of saving legs.
Championship