Wigan Athletic can seal promotion with a game to spare, and could also be crowned Sky Bet League 1 champions this weekend.
It would take a bizarre sequence of results for the Latics to miss out on a place in the Sky Bet Championship even if they lose both of their remaining games, but it's simple – one more point and they are up.That moves us on to the next target – the title. Second-placed Burton Albion trail the league leaders by three points, and should the Brewers fail to at least match Wigan's result on Matchday 45, then the trophy will be going to the DW Stadium.
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It's been quite a turnaround for Gary Caldwell and his men, who made a stuttering start to the 2015/16 campaign following relegation last term. However, a 20-match unbeaten run – starting on 19th December against Barnsley – gradually moved them to the top of the pile.
Their streak recently came to an end with a surprise defeat at struggling Doncaster Rovers, but the Latics bounced back with an emphatic 4-1 win over Southend United in their last fixture.
And this weekend, it's a trip to the seaside to face Blackpool – a side in need of points for a very different reason, as they look to give themselves hope of avoiding a second successive relegation.
The pair last met on the Fylde coast in the second half of their fateful Championship campaigns last term, with the Latics running out 3-1 winners at Bloomfield Road. Defender Jason Pearce featured in that game, and knows a repeat result would all but clinch the Sky Bet League 1 crown.
“It’s not going to be easy; Blackpool are fighting to stay in the league and will probably feel they need to win the game if they’re going to stand a chance of staying up,” the defender told wiganlatics.co.uk.
“I remember at the back end of last season saying that the best way to look at it for us was that we needed to take a step backwards to go forwards, and that is hopefully what we’re beginning to see now.
“I can't wait for Saturday. The support there last season was unbelievable but there are even more fans going this time around, and it would be amazing to win the title there.”
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