WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
We catch up with Wigan Athletic’s Football League debutants
JOE HINNIGAN is in the history books as being the first Wigan Athletic player to score a goal in the Football League.
The Latics had a long tradition of success in the Cheshire League and Northern Premier League before they were elected to the Football League.
But they failed to score in any of their first three games and were 2-0 down at home to Newport County in the fourth when Hinnigan’s moment of glory came.
“It was a Jeff Wright corner and I rose above somebody to head home but it never ever dawned on me, to be honest,” he said.
“It was only when we were in the bathroom when somebody said ‘Joe, do you realise you will be in the history books?’.
“We had just lost the game, so it didn’t really matter to me. I was more disappointed with losing the game.”
Wigan’s first victory in the league didn’t come until their sixth game when they beat Rochdale 3-0 at Springfield Park.
They eventually finished sixth in the league, six points off the promotion places, but Hinnigan admits survival was their first priority.
He said Springfield Park, which has long since disappeared, gave them a real edge because it was open to the elements.
Hinnigan reckons that teams from the South in particular were beaten as soon as they stepped into the car park and felt the chilling northern winds.
“We drew the first game against Hereford,” he said. “Then, we had a real tough baptism as we lost our next four games.
“I think a lot of it was down to confidence. As soon as we started to get a few results, the confidence in the lads just grew and grew.
Exception
“We were more or less unbeatable at Springfield Park at one stage. It was the type of ground teams hated going to.
“It wasn’t a great ground. It was open to all the elements, wind and rain, and the Southern teams were more or less beaten in the car park
“The likes of Reading, when Kerry Dixon was playing for them, and Portsmouth, who were a massive team in the division.
“Wimbledon were the exception. They were very similar to us. They had come from NonLeague and they had lads who were hungry. They were able to keep a spine of the team, which is what we did at Wigan.
“We had players with all types of jobs turn professional for the year, to give it a go.
“Teams just didn’t get elected back then. Wigan had tried for years and the Football League was like a closed shop.
“You had Rochdale, Hartlepool and Crewe applying for re-election, but the chairmen used to like keeping it inhouse. They voted for each other, basically.
“But we managed to get in on the back of Southport going out of the league. Even then, we got it only on a re-vote.
“We finished sixth, which was a magnificent achievement. At the start of the season, our main aim was just to survive. But don’t underestimate the fact we had some good players.
“We surprised a lot of teams. That was great credit to Ian McNeil. He brought in some Scottish lads and changed it around a little bit.
“Some of those he brought down were good players.” 1. Kevin Smart: A right-back who settled in Dover after finishing his career in Kent. He has worked as a builder. 2. Peter Houghton: Forward who was scorer of Wigan’s last goal in Non-League football. Lives in Liverpool and became an engineer in the car manufacturing industry. 3. Neil Davids: Defender who became the first Wigan player to be substituted in the Football League. He ran a chain of jewellery shops and a property portfolio. He died in December 2011, aged 56. 4. Geoff Gay: A midfielder who took over in goal on his Exeter debut. He was a civil servant working for the Department of Employment in Horwich and then Westhoughton. 5. John Brown: A goalkeeper who settled in the Preston area, where he had started his career, and has earned a living working as a bus driver. 6. Frank Corrigan: The midfielder now lives in Winnington, near Northwich, and spent 16 years working for the local water company before moving to a paper mill. 7. Noel Ward: Centre-half who broke his leg three days before he was due to sign for Chelsea. Moved into retail and became a supermarket manager. 8. Joe Hinnigan: Defender who has been a coach at Chester, Wigan, Bury and Rochdale and a physio at Shrewsbury, Accrington and then Rochdale for a second spell. 9. Jeff Wright: Midfielder who spent 18 years working for Pearl Assurance in Bellingham, where he still lives, before setting up his own mortgage and insurance business. 10. Ian McNeill: He had two spells managing Wigan and another stint at Shrewsbury. He was assistant boss for six years and scouted for a number of clubs. He died in October, aged 85. 11. Alan Crompton: Midfielder who was Wigan’s first ever substitute. Lives in Blackburn and has been working as a driver in the area since dropping into Non-League football. 12. Ian Seddon: Midfielder who won promotions with Chester and Cambridge. Worked in the building materials industry. He is the biographer of former England player Tommy Banks. 13. Tommy Gore: Midfielder who helped Wigan win the Northern Premier League. Ran a snooker club and landscape company and now provides cleaning contractors for ferries. 14. Ian Gillibrand: Skipper who was twice voted player of the year. Became reserve team coach and was then manager of the Robin Park sports complex, until his death in 1989, aged 40. 15. John Wilkie: A winger and top scorer when the club were promoted. He was a chartered accountant before running nightclubs and became the manager of a holiday park. 16. Ian Purdie: Winger who was the club’s first signing following election to the Football League. Settled in Canberra, Australia, where he has set up his own haulage business. 17. Kenny Banks: Served Wigan as trainer for more than 20 years. He died in Abergele, near Colwyn Bay, in 1994, aged 70.