There will be seven new teams to League One ready to begin the 2017/18 season in the third tier once that first whistle is blown in August. We are profiling each of those seven teams, who will all be coming up against the Bantams this coming campaign.
Today (Monday), it’s Wigan Athletic.
Just over 12 months after the Latics celebrated League One title success under the stewardship of Gary Caldwell and rookie chairman David Sharpe, Wigan Athletic are back to square one somewhat after an immediate relegation from the Championship. A club looking to bounce back and aim for the good times; the West Lancashire club enjoyed an eight-year stay in the Premier League (2005-2013) and also secured their one and only major cup success by winning the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium in 2013.
The glory days are in the recent past but the club are certainly looking for promotion this season. Gary Caldwell was dismissed early last season and his replacement Warren Joyce, a former Manchester United coach, lasted just four months after failing to keep the club in the second tier. Paul Cook spent close to five years as a player at Wigan Athletic and after guiding Portsmouth to League Two title success last season, he returned to Wigan to fill the managerial vacancy.
The club recently secured the signing of Oxford United central defender Chey Dunkley and he’ll become a Wigan player upon the expiry of his contract at the Kassam Stadium. Omar Bogle was a highly sought after striker in the last January transfer window and after scoring 19 goals in 30 appearances for League Two Grimsby Town, he signed for Wigan Athletic. The 24 year-old is expected to make his mark in League One this coming season and he could be key to the club’s promotion push.
The English Football League’s betting partner SkyBet.com have Wigan ranked as the second favourites to win the league title at 15/2 and the Latics are highly fancied at 9/4 to earn promotion and an immediate return to the Championship.
Wigan were successful at this level in 2015/16 and they will be hoping for a similar level of success this time around. The Bantams held the Latics to a draw at Valley Parade in October 2015 with James Hanson levelling after Michael Jacobs’ goal early in the second half and then Phil Parkinson’s men were edged at the DW Stadium with Haris Vuckic – later to become a City loanee - scoring a later winner for the soon to be Champions.