Wigan 1 Pompey 0
Paul Jewell scoured the globe from Ecuador to Donetsk to find the right players for Wigan this season – but the stop he made in Chesterfield may keep him on the Premiership map.
By signing big, raw and dangerous Caleb Folan from League One obscurity he could have found the missing link... someone still hungry and unafraid of the consequences of relegation.
Folan caught his breath and said: "We're really happy with the win. I thought we deserved it because the lads were tremendous, but we were confident before the game."
The Observer
McCulloch ends Wigan's worst run
Paul Jewell's relieved reaction to this result encapsulated its significance. Jewell has made a habit of disappearing down the tunnel at speed in recent weeks, but, having watched his side avert what would have been a new club record for consecutive league defeats, he soaked up the fans' gratitude.
Wigan were rewarded when Folan battled to hold the ball up, under pressure from Noe Pamarot and Campbell, and the ball ran loose to McCulloch who drove it beyond James. The goal had an element of fortune to it, with the ball spinning out perfectly for the Wigan midfielder, but Portsmouth could ride their luck only so long.
Once Wigan had scored, there was no reply from Portsmouth and it was Wigan who remained more likely to score with Taylor coming closest with two long-range efforts.
The Guardian
McCulloch gets 'Magnificent Seven' off to the perfect start
When Wigan's chief executive describes the remaining home fixtures as "the most important seven games in the club's history" there is little need to question why victory over Portsmouth was celebrated with the gusto of a side that had just been crowned league champions.
Wigan have billed their run-in as "The Magnificent Seven", with adult ticket prices slashed to £15. But the marketing drive did little to inspire; a meagre 15,093 - their second smallest gate of the campaign - turning out to witness a rare, but richly deserved, triumph.
Wigan risk becoming the latest team to suffer from second-season syndrome. Jewell's men finished 10th and appeared in the Carling Cup final last season but recently the chilly fingers of relegation have been edging ever closer to their throats.
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