At this time, seven years ago, Wigan Athletic were still basking in the bright silver limelight cast by their newly-acquired FA Cup trophy.
Their shock 1-0 victory over the champions of England had been one of the greatest final upsets in the history of the competition – with Ben Watson’s last-gasp header sealing the Latics’ first major accolade in 80 years and plunging the tiny Greater Manchester town into delirium.
The celebrations, quite rightly, went on for weeks.
Locals knew how to throw a football party. By 2013, scenes of intense jubilation among supporters had become something of a semi-common occurrence.
Wigan, traditionally known as a rugby league town, had succumbed to football fever during their epic journey to the top tier in the noughties – and their FA Cup triumph ensured the club would forever hold a place in the history books.
But today, Wigan fans aren’t dreaming of silverware. They’re not even thinking about winning the next match.
On July 1, news rolled in that the Latics had entered administration – with an imminent 12-point deduction from the EFL all set to send them bottom of the Championship.
A series of financial issues had been pushing the club to the brink for several months, and coronavirus was the final nudge needed to knock them off the cliff.
Wigan’s money woes were well-known, but the announcement still came as something of a shock to many in the footballing world.
Only last month, Hong Kong businessman Wai Kay Au Yeung, of Next Leader Fund (NLF), took full control of the club – with executive chairman Darren Royal claiming this would “negate some of the immediate” damages caused by the pandemic.
The owners passed the EFL’s test and takeover process – which ascertains whether the buyer can financially support a club.
But within weeks, the survival of Wigan Athletic has been left on a knife edge.
Board members are dealing with administrators at Begbies Traynor as we speak – scrambling to find interested parties to save the side.
David Sharpe, Paul Sharpe and David Whelan holding FA Cup / Wikipedia
Wigan enjoyed a fairytale rise to the golden land of the Premier League under former owner Dave Whelan, with the tactical shrewdness of manager Paul Jewell fuelling the firepower of strikers Nathan Ellington and Jason Roberts to propel the Latics into the Premier League.
Defying expectations to finish 10th in their debut season, Wigan would remain part of British football’s 20 elite clubs for eight seasons – stunning City in 2013 to lift the FA Cup against all odds and competing in Europe the following year as a result.
The Latics have yo-yo’ed between the second and third rung of the EFL in the past decade, with Whelan stepping down as owner in 2015 and handing the reins to his grandson, David Sharpe.
International Entertainment Corporation bought the club in 2018, but sold off their shares to NLF a little over one month ago.
Wigan’s recent past has been remarkable, but for now, their future appears uncertain.
Fans will be under no illusions as to the gravity of the situation, with the tragic plight of not-too-distant neighbours, Bury, still fresh in the minds of football followers across the country.
Nonetheless, as history has taught us, these next few weeks will see rivalries set aside to provide Wigan with the support they need.
The whole of Greater Manchester – even Manchester City fans who had their hearts broken by the bulge of the net at Wembley in 2013 – will be behind them.
Sport
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Wigan Athletic sign third forward of the summer window so far
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester side Wigan Athletic have announced yet another summer signing with the arrival of 22-year-old Dara Costelloe.
Not only is he the fourth acquisition of the transfer window so far, but the now ex-Burnley prospect is the third new forward picked up by Wigan ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Irish striker, who started out in the youth academy at Galway United before breaking into the senior team and being bought by the Clarets, has spent the last couple of years on loan, representing five different clubs since 2023.
Having most recently been at Northampton Town, scoring six times in 15 games, he finished the previous campaign with a total of a dozen goal involvements from 36 appearances – a direct contribution in nearly every other game. Now he’ll be tasked with finding similar success with another League One outfit.
𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙏𝙞𝙘! 💙
The exciting striker arrives from Burnley on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year! 🤝#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/9VzrqDR5uL
Commenting on the move, the youngster said in an official club statement: “I’m delighted to get the move over the line. It’s been a great day for me and my family – I brought my Dad over with me, and having seen the stadium, we definitely made the right choice.
“It is a great Club, and I cannot wait to get started. I’ve spoken to the Gaffer [Ryan Lowe] for quite a bit, and the plan that was outlined is to get this Club back to the Championship. That’s my ambition as well, so we’ll try to achieve that.
“I’ve seen the strikers the Gaffer has worked with, and how he’s helped progress their careers. Hopefully, he can do the same with me.”
As a retired forward himself, the strikers Costelloe is referring to include Southampton’s Cameron Archer, fellow Irishman and ex-Spurs graduate Troy Parrott, as well as former Man City, Ipswich and now Chelsea marksman, Liam Delap, who was on the radar of several teams this summer.
Speaking of Lowe, the Latics head coach confessed, “Dara is a forward who I have admired for some time, and I’m delighted he’s decided to come to us. [He] has all the attributes we are seeking in a new signing – and is hungry, ambitious, and wanting to improve.
“He is a real threat in the final third, and already has experience at this level following his successful spell at Northampton last season.
“Dara adds to the attacking options we have at [Wigan], and we’re looking forward to working with him and helping him to develop his game further. It enables us to have some really healthy competition in the striking department, which will spur each of the lads on throughout the season.
Not only is it usually reassuring to hear when a manager secures a talent they’ve been keen on for a while (the assumption being that they’ve done their due diligence and the player has been well scouted), but it says a lot about the 46-year-old’s ambition for this season by picking up three new attackers.
Snatching his permanent signature from a division rival is a nice bonus, too.
Wigan didn’t score enough goals in 24/25, simple as – finishing in 15th on minus two goal difference after registering just 40; that being said, the signing of Dara Costelloe, Christian Saydee, and most notably, prolific English forward, Paul Mullin, should help bolster those numbers to kick off this new era.
There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding the Wrexham hero on loan for the season.
The Manc -
1st July 2020 
