Whelan put Wigan on the football map and believes they can also keep their place in the top flight after their stunning 1-0 Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday.

Wigan, who have battled relegation for the last three seasons, are a club from a small northern town, situated close to Manchester and Liverpool.

Overshadowed by both those football hotbeds for decades, Wigan also live in the shadow of their more illustrious rugby league neighbours, Wigan Warriors, with whom they now groundshare.

Whelan is a born battler and, unusually for a chairman, was in the limelight almost as much as manager Roberto Martinez and his players during Saturday’s FA Cup final victory.

At the age of 23, Whelan broke his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley, an injury that ended his top flight career and his ambitions of playing for England.

“It is a dream come true of course,” he told reporters after Saturday’s win, “and especially after the heartbreak of what happened here in 1960 it’s especially moving. It just proves what you can achieve if you have a dream and believe it can come true.”

Whelan was sold to Fourth Division side Crewe Alexandra two years after his leg break, but with the compensation he got from Blackburn following his injury he bought a grocery business, which would prove to be the start of a hugely successful nationwide business career that turned him into a multi-millionaire.

‘REMARKABLE DAY’

He bought Wigan in 1995 when they were in the Third Division and victory on Saturday was the crowning glory of his footballing career.

“It is the most remarkable day, and I have to say we thoroughly deserved it. Roberto is a top manager who did a wonderful job for this club as a player and now as a manager.

“When the day comes for him to tell me he wants to leave for a bigger club I will understand that, of course I will, but right now he is our manager and we have two vital games to play to stay in the Premier League, so I am not opening the champagne yet.”

Martinez has been touted as a possible replacement for Everton manager David Moyes, who is leaving Goodison Park to replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United next season.

Wigan are now looking to avoid adding an unwanted footnote to FA Cup folklore. Five clubs, including Manchester City in 1926, have appeared in the FA Cup final, lost and also been relegated. None of them have won the FA Cup and gone down.

Wigan want to avoid becoming the first.

They play at Arsenal on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in their last Premier League match next Sunday.

Currently they are 18th in the Premier League on 35 points and realistically cannot afford to drop any more points to avoid the drop.

Ben Watson, who came off the bench to score the winning goal on Saturday, believes Wigan can survive.

“We went to Arsenal last season and won there, and after this victory over City I think anything is possible for Wigan Athletic,” he told reporters after the game.

“Yes we are elated to have won the Cup and yes we will be in the Europa League next season for the first time, but we have to survive in the Premier League, and with the chairman we have and the manager we have, we are capable of doing that.”

When Whelan bought Wigan, who had only been elected to the Football League in 1978, he promised he would get them into the top flight, a notion that seemed fanciful at the time but one they achieved by 2005.

He funded the construction of a new stadium to replace their old Springfield Park ground in 1999 and brought in some fine players to the club over the last 18 years as they rose through the divisions.

It would be a terrible irony if, at the time of their greatest success, they fail to avoid the drop.

(Additional reporting by Ryan O’Toole; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Whelan put Wigan on the soccer map and believes they can also keep their place in the top flight after their stunning 1-0 Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday.

Wigan, who have battled relegation for the last three seasons, are a club from a small northern town, situated close to Manchester and Liverpool.

Overshadowed by both those soccer hotbeds for decades, Wigan also live in the shadow of their more illustrious rugby league neighbours, Wigan Warriors, with whom they now groundshare.

Whelan is a born battler and, unusually for a chairman, was in the limelight almost as much as manager Roberto Martinez and his players during Saturday’s FA Cup final victory.

At the age of 23, Whelan broke his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley, an injury that ended his top flight career and his ambitions of playing for England.

“It is a dream come true of course,” he told reporters after Saturday’s win, “and especially after the heartbreak of what happened here in 1960 it’s especially moving. It just proves what you can achieve if you have a dream and believe it can come true.”

Whelan was sold to Fourth Division side Crewe Alexandra two years after his leg break, but with the compensation he got from Blackburn following his injury he bought a grocery business, which would prove to be the start of a hugely successful nationwide business career that turned him into a multi-millionaire.

‘REMARKABLE DAY’

He bought Wigan in 1995 when they were in the Third Division and victory on Saturday was the crowning glory of his footballing career.

“It is the most remarkable day, and I have to say we thoroughly deserved it. Roberto is a top manager who did a wonderful job for this club as a player and now as a manager.

“When the day comes for him to tell me he wants to leave for a bigger club I will understand that, of course I will, but right now he is our manager and we have two vital games to play to stay in the Premier League, so I am not opening the champagne yet.”

Martinez has been touted as a possible replacement for Everton manager David Moyes, who is leaving Goodison Park to replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United next season.

Wigan are now looking to avoid adding an unwanted footnote to FA Cup folklore. Five clubs, including Manchester City in 1926, have appeared in the FA Cup final, lost and also been relegated. None of them have won the FA Cup and gone down.

Wigan want to avoid becoming the first.

They play at Arsenal on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in their last Premier League match next Sunday.

Currently they are 18th in the Premier League on 35 points and realistically cannot afford to drop any more points to avoid the drop.

Ben Watson, who came off the bench to score the winning goal on Saturday, believes Wigan can survive.

“We went to Arsenal last season and won there, and after this victory over City I think anything is possible for Wigan Athletic,” he told reporters after the game.

“Yes we are elated to have won the Cup and yes we will be in the Europa League next season for the first time, but we have to survive in the Premier League, and with the chairman we have and the manager we have, we are capable of doing that.”

When Whelan bought Wigan, who had only been elected to the Football League in 1978, he promised he would get them into the top flight, a notion that seemed fanciful at the time but one they achieved by 2005.

He funded the construction of a new stadium to replace their old Springfield Park ground in 1999 and brought in some fine players to the club over the last 18 years as they rose through the divisions.

It would be a terrible irony if, at the time of their greatest success, they fail to avoid the drop. (Additional reporting by Ryan O’Toole; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

City’s Roberto Mancini dismissed as “stupid” speculation he was on his way out of the club he took to FA Cup success two years ago and the Premier League title last season but struggled to stay calm cool in the post-match news briefing.

Wigan’s Roberto Martinez also declined to be drawn on questions about a possible move to Everton as the replacement for David Moyes, who is leaving Goodison Park to replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United next season.

Mancini, normally the epitome of cool in his briefings, seemed rattled by widespread newspaper reports suggesting Manuel Pellegrini of Malaga had been lined up as his replacement.

“This has been going on for six months,” said the Italian.

“I think this is stupid, you write these things and maybe you know, but I have been around football a long time, and I will wait and see.

“Manchester United did not win the Premier League last season nor the FA Cup and you did not write about this.

“Maybe something is going on and I don’t know and I am stupid, but we have two matches to play and we will see at the end of the season.

“How many teams have done better than us this season? One – Manchester United. We are second in the league and we are in the Cup final. We did not achieve our targets, but we have had a good season.”

Spaniard Martinez was happier talking about one of his previous clubs Swansea City who, like Wigan, won a major trophy for the first time this season by lifting the League Cup.

EUROPA LEAGUE

Along with Wigan, Swansea will be competing in the Europa League next season, and Martinez said he was proud of the Welsh side’s achievements.

“They play in a similar way to us and I am very pleased they have had this success this season,” he said.

He added that his energies now would be focused on keeping Wigan in the Premier League. They are third from bottom of the table and face Arsenal and Aston Villa needing at least three points to avoid making some unwanted history.

If they do go down, they would become the first team to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season.

“The reason why we are where we are in the league is because we have had so many injuries, and we have struggled as a result,” said Martinez.

“I don’t know how we will recover in time emotionally and physically before we play Arsenal on Tuesday but we will do everything we can to stay up.”

Martinez and Mancini became the first managers to meet in the Cup final sharing the same first name since Matt Busby’s Manchester United met Matt Gillies’ Leicester City in 1963.

Then, Leicester, who finished fourth, were the hot favourites to beat United who finished 19th, but United won 3-1, a big upset at the time.

“It was an upset today too perhaps,” said Martinez, “but I have always believed in my side and know what they are capable of. We will see what happens in the next week.

“And forgive me for being late for this news conference. We are not all that used to celebrating.”

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)

City’s Roberto Mancini dismissed as “stupid” speculation he was on his way out of the club he took to FA Cup success two years ago and the Premier League title last season but struggled to stay calm cool in the post-match news briefing.

Wigan’s Roberto Martinez also declined to be drawn on questions about a possible move to Everton as the replacement for David Moyes, who is leaving Goodison Park to replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United next season.

Mancini, normally the epitome of cool in his briefings, seemed rattled by widespread newspaper reports suggesting Manuel Pellegrini of Malaga had been lined up as his replacement.

“This has been going on for six months,” said the Italian.

“I think this is stupid, you write these things and maybe you know, but I have been around football a long time, and I will wait and see.

“Manchester United did not win the Premier League last season nor the FA Cup and you did not write about this.

“Maybe something is going on and I don’t know and I am stupid, but we have two matches to play and we will see at the end of the season.

“How many teams have done better than us this season? One – Manchester United. We are second in the league and we are in the Cup final. We did not achieve our targets, but we have had a good season.”

Spaniard Martinez was happier talking about one of his previous clubs Swansea City who, like Wigan, won a major trophy for the first time this season by lifting the League Cup.

EUROPA LEAGUE

Along with Wigan, Swansea will be competing in the Europa League next season, and Martinez said he was proud of the Welsh side’s achievements.

“They play in a similar way to us and I am very pleased they have had this success this season,” he said.

He added that his energies now would be focused on keeping Wigan in the Premier League. They are third from bottom of the table and face Arsenal and Aston Villa needing at least three points to avoid making some unwanted history.

If they do go down, they would become the first team to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season.

“The reason why we are where we are in the league is because we have had so many injuries, and we have struggled as a result,” said Martinez.

“I don’t know how we will recover in time emotionally and physically before we play Arsenal on Tuesday but we will do everything we can to stay up.”

Martinez and Mancini became the first managers to meet in the Cup final sharing the same first name since Matt Busby’s Manchester United met Matt Gillies’ Leicester City in 1963.

Then, Leicester, who finished fourth, were the hot favourites to beat United who finished 19th, but United won 3-1, a big upset at the time.

“It was an upset today too perhaps,” said Martinez, “but I have always believed in my side and know what they are capable of. We will see what happens in the next week.

“And forgive me for being late for this news conference. We are not all that used to celebrating.” (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Wigan, still threatened with relegation from the Premier League, played the better football throughout and deserved to win against a largely listless City side who had defender Pablo Zabaleta sent off for a second yellow card in the 84th minute.

It was Wigan’s first FA Cup final in their 81-year history and they won it when Watson, who had only been on the field for nine minutes and had broken his leg earlier this season, powered an unstoppable header past keeper Joe Hart from a Shaun Maloney corner.

Wigan’s win was the biggest upset since Wimbledon beat Liverpool in the 1988 final and represented a personal triumph for their chairman Dave Whelan who broke his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final.

“We didn’t win by luck – from start to finish it was an incredible performance,” said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez. “The FA Cup is such a special tournament, and everyone deserves to feel proud today.

An emotional Whelan added: “Fantastic. I had the dream but I didn’t publish it. I thought we would get to the final and win 1-0 and it is repayment for me breaking my leg in 1960.”

Wigan now face two Premier League matches to save themselves from relegation, but will become the first team to win the FA Cup and go down in the same season if they fail to stay up.

“We’ve got two big games in front of us and we wanted to conserve energy, but it was difficult,” Martinez told the BBC.

“Everyone wrote us off before the game, but we were following a dream. You cannot describe the feeling at the moment. My players faced adversity and played with a smile. I am so proud of them.”

INCREDIBLE CHANCES

City manager Roberto Mancini added: “I’m disappointed. We conceded a goal in the last seconds in a game where we didn’t play very well but we didn’t deserve to lose.

“We had two or three incredible chances but in the end we didn’t play like we usually do…”

City, FA Cup winners in 2011 and Premier League champions last season, were the overwhelming favourites to win the famous trophy for the sixth time but were largely outplayed against the underdogs who put their erratic league form behind them.

City had the first attempt at goal when Yaya Toure brought a low diving save from Joel Robles following a Carlos Tevez free-kick in the fourth minute, but Wigan unexpectedly took control of the game with the Manchester side playing into their hands.

Instead of using their width, City attempted to build attacks though the middle and made little progress against Wigan’s back three of Paul Scharner, Antolin Alcaraz and Emmerson Boyce blocking their progress.

Instead, Wigan played the ball wide with the excellent Callum McManaman on the right and Roger Espinoza on the left creating space and opportunities.

Indeed, if McManaman had shown slightly more composure in the ninth minute he could have put Wigan ahead.

In the clear after an exchange of passes with Arouna Kone, he attempted to cut inside but dwelled too long on the ball before sweeping a curling shot wide of Hart’s right hand post.

TALKING POINT

Hart’s selection was the main talking point before kickoff when he was named in the starting lineup rather than Romanian Costel Pantilimon, who had played in all of City’s FA Cup matches on the way to the final but said in the build-up that he planned to leave the club at the end of the season.

But the best saves of the first half came from Wigan’s Joel Robles, first when he stuck out a leg to block what seemed a certain goal-bound strike from Carlos Tevez after 29 minutes, and then keeping out a shot by Samir Nasri just before halftime.

City began to play with more pace and dynamism after the break largely because James Milner had replaced the subdued Nasri after 54 minutes and began to have an impact by making some inroads on the right.

But with Toure, who scored the winner in the 2011 final, playing deep for long periods and not really threatening the Wigan defence until the later stages, City never seriously looked like making a breakthrough.

Wigan had the same problem at the other end. Despite some swift, attractive build-up play, they rarely troubled Hart until the dramatic finale on the stroke of 90 minutes when the England keeper was powerless to stop the ball flying past him.

Even if they had lost Wigan knew they would play in the Europa League next season because City had already clinched a Champions League spot. But this Cup win could now galvanise them to extend their Premier League status for a ninth season.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Wigan, still threatened with relegation from the Premier League, played the better football throughout and deserved to win against a largely listless City side who had defender Pablo Zabaleta sent off for a second yellow card in the 84th minute.

It was Wigan’s first FA Cup final in their 81-year history and they won it when Watson, who had only been on the field for nine minutes and had broken his leg earlier this season, powered an unstoppable header past keeper Joe Hart from a Shaun Maloney corner.

Wigan’s win was the biggest upset since Wimbledon beat Liverpool in the 1988 final and represented a personal triumph for their chairman Dave Whelan who broke his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final.

“We didn’t win by luck – from start to finish it was an incredible performance,” said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez. “The FA Cup is such a special tournament, and everyone deserves to feel proud today.

An emotional Whelan added: “Fantastic. I had the dream but I didn’t publish it. I thought we would get to the final and win 1-0 and it is repayment for me breaking my leg in 1960.”

Wigan now face two Premier League matches to save themselves from relegation, but will become the first team to win the FA Cup and go down in the same season if they fail to stay up.

“We’ve got two big games in front of us and we wanted to conserve energy, but it was difficult,” Martinez told the BBC.

“Everyone wrote us off before the game, but we were following a dream. You cannot describe the feeling at the moment. My players faced adversity and played with a smile. I am so proud of them.”

INCREDIBLE CHANCES

City manager Roberto Mancini added: “I’m disappointed. We conceded a goal in the last seconds in a game where we didn’t play very well but we didn’t deserve to lose.

“We had two or three incredible chances but in the end we didn’t play like we usually do…”

City, FA Cup winners in 2011 and Premier League champions last season, were the overwhelming favourites to win the famous trophy for the sixth time but were largely outplayed against the underdogs who put their erratic league form behind them.

City had the first attempt at goal when Yaya Toure brought a low diving save from Joel Robles following a Carlos Tevez free-kick in the fourth minute, but Wigan unexpectedly took control of the game with the Manchester side playing into their hands.

Instead of using their width, City attempted to build attacks though the middle and made little progress against Wigan’s back three of Paul Scharner, Antolin Alcaraz and Emmerson Boyce blocking their progress.

Instead, Wigan played the ball wide with the excellent Callum McManaman on the right and Roger Espinoza on the left creating space and opportunities.

Indeed, if McManaman had shown slightly more composure in the ninth minute he could have put Wigan ahead.

In the clear after an exchange of passes with Arouna Kone, he attempted to cut inside but dwelled too long on the ball before sweeping a curling shot wide of Hart’s right hand post.

TALKING POINT

Hart’s selection was the main talking point before kickoff when he was named in the starting lineup rather than Romanian Costel Pantilimon, who had played in all of City’s FA Cup matches on the way to the final but said in the build-up that he planned to leave the club at the end of the season.

But the best saves of the first half came from Wigan’s Joel Robles, first when he stuck out a leg to block what seemed a certain goal-bound strike from Carlos Tevez after 29 minutes, and then keeping out a shot by Samir Nasri just before halftime.

City began to play with more pace and dynamism after the break largely because James Milner had replaced the subdued Nasri after 54 minutes and began to have an impact by making some inroads on the right.

But with Toure, who scored the winner in the 2011 final, playing deep for long periods and not really threatening the Wigan defence until the later stages, City never seriously looked like making a breakthrough.

Wigan had the same problem at the other end. Despite some swift, attractive build-up play, they rarely troubled Hart until the dramatic finale on the stroke of 90 minutes when the England keeper was powerless to stop the ball flying past him.

Even if they had lost Wigan knew they would play in the Europa League next season because City had already clinched a Champions League spot. But this Cup win could now galvanise them to extend their Premier League status for a ninth season. (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Wigan’s place in the top flight is under threat as they are three points from safety with two matches to play but Mancini believes Martinez can keep them afloat.

“Martinez is a strong manager and he knows this situation very well,” the Italian told a pre-final briefing on Friday.

“The final is the final, it has (no bearing on) what happens in the Premier League. I think they have a good chance to stay in the league.”

The clash of the two Robertos – the first time since 1963 that both final managers have shared the same first name – highlights the differences and similarities between the two clubs whose grounds are only 20 miles (32-km) apart.

City, thanks to the hundreds of millions of pounds invested by owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, are now one of the richest clubs in the world.

Wigan, in a sense, are a smaller version of City’s expensive model. Owner Dave Whelan has ploughed a fortune into the club and they have risen way beyond the old minor league haunts they visited for the first 46 years of their existence.

Formed in 1932, they joined the Football League as recently as 1978, still exist on small crowds, but have held their own, largely thanks to Whelan’s largesse, in the Premier League since 2005.

Mancini, who ended his club’s 35-year wait for a major honour when he guided them to a 1-0 win over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup final, does not believe his team are favourites on Saturday even though they are flying high in second place in the league.

“We know that every final is difficult,” he said. “I don’t think in a final one team can be favourites.

“Against Stoke we were called favourites but they played very well. I think we will have the same problem this year. For Wigan this will be an important moment.

“The FA Cup is the second (most important) trophy in England after the Premier League. I think it’s an important trophy for everyone,” added Mancini.

He reported a clean bill of health for his side with Yaya Toure, who scored the winner in the 2011 final, declaring himself fit.

In the 1963 final Matt Busby’s Manchester United caused a minor upset by beating Matt Gillies’s Leicester City 3-1.

Leicester had finished fourth in the top flight while United were 19th, just three points above the relegation zone.

Wigan are hoping to follow in United’s footsteps by pulling off the same kind of shock on Saturday.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Wigan’s place in the top flight is under threat as they are three points from safety with two matches to play but Mancini believes Martinez can keep them afloat.

“Martinez is a strong manager and he knows this situation very well,” the Italian told a pre-final briefing on Friday.

“The final is the final, it has (no bearing on) what happens in the Premier League. I think they have a good chance to stay in the league.”

The clash of the two Robertos – the first time since 1963 that both final managers have shared the same first name – highlights the differences and similarities between the two clubs whose grounds are only 20 miles (32-km) apart.

City, thanks to the hundreds of millions of pounds invested by owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, are now one of the richest clubs in the world.

Wigan, in a sense, are a smaller version of City’s expensive model. Owner Dave Whelan has ploughed a fortune into the club and they have risen way beyond the old minor league haunts they visited for the first 46 years of their existence.

Formed in 1932, they joined the Football League as recently as 1978, still exist on small crowds, but have held their own, largely thanks to Whelan’s largesse, in the Premier League since 2005.

Mancini, who ended his club’s 35-year wait for a major honour when he guided them to a 1-0 win over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup final, does not believe his team are favourites on Saturday even though they are flying high in second place in the league.

“We know that every final is difficult,” he said. “I don’t think in a final one team can be favourites.

“Against Stoke we were called favourites but they played very well. I think we will have the same problem this year. For Wigan this will be an important moment.

“The FA Cup is the second (most important) trophy in England after the Premier League. I think it’s an important trophy for everyone,” added Mancini.

He reported a clean bill of health for his side with Yaya Toure, who scored the winner in the 2011 final, declaring himself fit.

In the 1963 final Matt Busby’s Manchester United caused a minor upset by beating Matt Gillies’s Leicester City 3-1.

Leicester had finished fourth in the top flight while United were 19th, just three points above the relegation zone.

Wigan are hoping to follow in United’s footsteps by pulling off the same kind of shock on Saturday. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Manchester City will be playing in the FA Cup for the 10th time, after winning five and losing four of their previous finals. Wigan Athletic will be making their first appearance.

City’s win over Stoke City in 2011 was their first major trophy for 35 years, since winning the League Cup in 1976. It was their first FA Cup win since 1969. They followed up their 2011 victory by winning the Premier League title for the first time since 1968 last season.

Wigan Athletic, 18th in the Premier League are hoping to avoid the fate suffered by Manchester City in 1926 when they appeared in the final and were relegated in the same season. Five clubs: Manchester City (1926), Leicester City (1969), Brighton (1983), Middlesbrough (1997) and Portsmouth (2010) all appeared in the final and were also relegated. They all lost in the final.

City manager Roberto Mancini is attempting to become the first Italian manager to win the FA Cup twice and keep Italy’s successful run going in finals, the last three of which have all been won by clubs with Italian managers. Carlo Ancelotti won with Chelsea in 2010, Mancini with City in 2011, Roberto Di Matteo with Chelsea last season.

Wigan’s Roberto Martinez is attempting to become the first Spanish manager to win the FA Cup since Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez in 2006.

This is the first final in which both managers have had the same first name since Matt Busby’s Manchester United beat Leicester City managed by Matt Gillies in 1963.

Wigan’s chairman Dave Whelan is hoping his side can win the final and make up for his loss in 1960. He was in the Blackburn Rovers team beaten 3-0 in the final by Wolverhampton Wanderers but suffered a broken leg which effectively ended his career.

Another player who suffered an injury is a Wigan hero. Harry Lyon was carried off on a stretcher with sprained ankle ligaments during an FA Cup first-round replay against Doncaster Rovers in November 1965. The Wigan doctor gave him painkillers and whisky and he returned to the field – scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 win. A road is named after him on the site of Wigan’s old Springfield Park ground.

Wigan Athletic were formed in 1932 after the demise of Wigan Borough who played in the Football League between 1921 and 1932. Borough succeeded an earlier club called Wigan County who played only one match in the FA Cup proper – losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the first round in 1898.

Yaya Toure, who scored City’s goal in their 1-0 win over Stoke two years ago, will become the eighth player since World War Two to score in at least two finals if he scores again on Saturday. The record is held by Chelsea’s Didier Drogba who scored in all four FA Cup finals he played in (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012).

Manchester City’s Bobby Johnstone became the first player to score in successive Wembley finals, in 1955 when City lost to Newcastle and in 1956 when they beat Birmingham City.

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, Wigan will be playing in Europe for the first time next season. As Manchester City have qualified for the Champions League, Wigan have a guaranteed place in the Europa League as either winners or runners-up.

When Manchester City lost 3-0 to Everton in the 1933 Cup final it was the first time the players had worn numbers. Everton wore numbers 1-11 and City were numbered from 12-22.

Wigan were elected to the Football League in 1978, a year after Wimbledon who joined the League in 1977 and went on to win the FA Cup in 1988.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Clare Fallon)

City, FA Cup winners in 2011 and Premier League champions last season, start as the overwhelming favourites for the match at Wembley (5.15 p.m.) but Wigan have shown at times this season, especially in their 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Everton, they can spring a surprise.

However, not only are Manchester City better in every position than Wigan, they have won the last seven matches between the sides without conceding a goal, outscoring Roberto Martinez’s men 13-0 since March 2010.

The last time Wigan beat City was nearly five years ago when goals from Antonio Valencia and an Amr Zaki penalty gave them a 2-1 league win in September 2008.

A few weeks later the billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi bought City and nothing much has been the same since he began ploughing his wealth into the former serial under-achievers.

While Wigan, third from bottom in the league, go into their first FA Cup final with two matches left to save themselves from relegation to the Championship, Manchester City head to Wembley Stadium with nothing to fear.

ADDING SILVERWARE

Having relinquished their title to Manchester United two weeks ago, they ensured they will qualify for the Champions League next season by beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Tuesday.

It seems all that can stop them from adding more silverware to their recently acquired collection is a return to the listlessness that damaged their title defence or a sudden collective loss of form.

After the two sides won their semi-finals last month, City struggled to beat Wigan in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on April 17 until an excellent late winner from Carlos Tevez.

However, since then Wigan have been hit by injuries. Those, plus some poor defending in a 3-2 defeat to Swansea City on Tuesday, do not augur well for their chances in the final.

Wigan will be without the authoritative Maynor Figueroa in midfield while centre back Ivan Ramis is still out with a knee injury. Antolin Alcaraz is a doubt after missing the midweek match and Ronnie Stam suffered a suspected broken leg against Swansea.

Martinez though, aiming to become the first Spanish coach to win the FA Cup since Rafa Benitez in 2006 with Liverpool, believes his team can save their season.

Talking about Wigan’s chances of Premier League survival, he said: “We will never give up and we will never throw the towel in. We have a lot of injuries at the back and it showed.”

CREATING CHANCES

Wigan can produce neat, incisive football and in Shaun Maloney have a fine player capable of creating chances and openings from midfield.

Ivorian international Arouna Kone has shown an eye for goal in his first season at the club with 13 strikes.

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, Wigan are guaranteed a Europa League spot next season.

City boss Roberto Mancini made eight changes to the side that drew with Swansea last weekend for the game against West Brom. Even so, City were too strong and won with a first-half goal from Edin Dzeko, who may have played his way into the starting line-up for Saturday.

Mancini is attempting to become the first Italian manager to win the FA Cup twice after City’s success two years ago, and will be hoping his club, unlike rivals Manchester United, will not be looking for a new boss at the end of the season.

There has been widespread talk for months that Mancini is on his way out of City, but a second FA Cup win and the chance to regain the league title next season from what will be a United team in transition following Alex Ferguson’s retirement, will give him a strong hand in any negotiations with the club’s owners.

City’s 2011 Cup triumph ended a barren 35 years for the club and Mancini may be entitled to believe a third trophy and guaranteed Champions League soccer next season, will buy him more time.

(Editing by Alison Wildey)