Wigan have given them a real chance of making it into the final of the FA Cup, as they could be facing either Blackburn or Millwall in the semi-final of the competition. The club recently managed to get into Wembley for the first time after the 3-0 defeat of Everton in the quarter-finals.
Wigan were absolutely extraordinary in the match, as they tore apart a very poor Everton team. Even though Wigan managed to score all their goals in the space of a few minutes, they were the dominant team throughout the match and rightly deserved to go through into the next round.
However, the club still remains in a relegation fight. It is possible that Wigan could find themselves in a similar position to what Portsmouth did a few years ago – relegation and reaching the FA Cup final.
This has prompted the manager Roberto Martinez to acknowledge the fact that Premier league survival remains the priority for the team despite the semi-final appearance. Wigan have managed to establish themselves in the Premier league after coming up more than eight years ago. However, they have consistently flirted with relegation during this period only to escape in the final few weeks of the campaign. The club remain four points off safety with eight matches remaining in the season.
"Since I have arrived at Wigan we want cup success, but not at the expense of the league form. Making nine or 10 changes is a need in the modern game. The difference now is this season we have a group of 24 players who have shown when they get the opportunity they are competitive. If anything this cup run has given us extra players," said Martinez. The team have once again managed to find form at just the right stage in the season.