Wigan Athletic Host Stockport County With Points Already Looking Precious in League One
Jay Thompson ·
It is only the second weekend of the League One season and already Wigan Athletic find themselves in a hole. One game played, one defeat, no points. Stockport County come to the DW Stadium having won their opener and carrying form that has been building all pre-season and into this campaign. This is exactly the kind of fixture that tells you what a team is made of. Early doors. Home crowd. Under pressure. What have you got?
Where Wigan Are Right Now
The thing is, Wigan's numbers from last season tell you a fair bit about what you are dealing with. They finished 16th in League One in 2025, 14 wins from 46 games, a goal difference of minus nine. That is a club that spent most of last season in survival mode. They were not comfortable. They were not ruthless. They were a side that conceded more than they scored and won fewer than one in three matches.
This season has started no better. They lost their opener 3-2, which on the face of it looks like an entertaining game. But look at it properly. They conceded three. At this level, if your defence cannot hold a lead or shut a game down, you are going to be fighting all winter. The basics of defending are not optional. They are the foundation. Without them, nothing else matters.
Their home form from last season does give some cause for optimism, though. In their last ten home matches in League One, they won seven, drew two, lost one. They scored 16 at home, conceded just three. Clean sheet percentage of 70 per cent at home. That is a different animal to what they have been on the road. The DW Stadium can be a fortress when Wigan show up properly. The question this Saturday is whether they show up.
Listen, a home defeat to open your account would be a bad start. A home win could change the mood immediately. That is football at this level. Every result carries weight.
Stockport County: They Can Score, They Can Concede
Stockport arrive in second place in the League One table after one game. Three points on the board, a 3-1 win already banked. They are coming here with confidence and that matters.
Their recent form across all competitions backs it up. In their last five matches overall, they have won four and lost one. In their last five away games, they have won three, drawn one, lost one. That is a side that travels with belief and competes. Away from home they have scored 11 goals in their last five on the road. Eleven. That is not a team that parks and hopes. They come to win.
The thing is, they also leak goals. Nine conceded in those same five away games. Their clean sheet percentage away from home in recent form sits at just 20 per cent. So Stockport will give you chances. The question is whether Wigan have the desire and the quality to take them.
Their home record over the last ten matches is exceptional. Eight wins, no draws, two defeats, 21 goals scored, six conceded. That is a side with real attacking intent and genuine standards at home. They know how to win football matches. That mentality does not just disappear when you travel.
The Gap in Quality Is Real
Last season, Stockport finished third in League One with 77 points. Wigan finished 16th with 56. That is a 21-point gap over a full season. You cannot dress that up. That is a significant difference in output, in consistency, in accountability across a campaign.
Stockport scored 71 goals last season. Wigan scored 49. Stockport conceded 58. Wigan conceded 58. So defensively they were level, but Stockport were far more productive going forward. At this level, goals change everything. A team that can score freely will always carry more threat than one that scraps for every goal.
Wigan will need to be organised. They will need to be hard to beat first and foremost. If they give Stockport space in behind, they will be punished. Their home form suggests they can set up defensively and be compact. That is what they have to do here. Keep it tight early. Make Stockport earn everything.
What Has to Happen for Wigan to Win This
Wigan need to compete from the first whistle. Not settle in gently. Not give Stockport an early foothold. The attitude has to be right. A home crowd that is already edgy after a defeat does not need to see their side roll over in the opening twenty minutes. Standards have to be set early and maintained.
They have to be solid at the back. 70 per cent clean sheet rate at home last season is a number worth building on. If they can frustrate Stockport and stay in the game past the hour mark, they have a chance. Stockport do leak goals on the road. Wigan have to be clinical if and when the opportunity comes.
There is no hiding from the context. This is a must-not-lose game for Wigan. Lose here and they have zero points from two games, a goal difference going the wrong way, and a home crowd that will start asking questions. That is pressure nobody needs in early September.
The Verdict
Stockport County are the better side on paper and recent evidence backs that up. They are scoring freely, they are winning matches, and they arrive here with form and points already in the bag. Wigan are bottom of the table, off the pace, and need a response after their opening defeat.
The thing is, home advantage in League One is real. Wigan's home record last season was genuinely strong. If they set up right, compete with the right attitude, and take their chances, they can make this uncomfortable for Stockport.
But Stockport's firepower away from home is unacceptable to ignore. They will create. The only question is whether Wigan's defence holds firm. Based on the evidence, I expect Stockport to edge this. They are the more complete side right now. Wigan need to prove otherwise. End of.