I don’t think I’m the only Wigan fan who would count the FA Cup Final 2013 as the best day of my life so far. Now, I’m not married and don’t have children, so I’d like to think one day there will be some personal events that would rival it – but for now it remains a real “tell the grandkids” moment. And I owe that largely to a certain Ben Watson.
So it’s with great sadness that this morning I saw the news that Watson has left the club to join Watford, six months before his Latics contract was due to expire.
Watson hasn’t exactly been setting the Championship alight this season, but let’s face it, who has for Wigan? And he hasn’t had chance to either after coming back from his broken leg before Christmas.
I know there’s no room for sentiment in sport, but I really feel like the club could have done a bit more for him. He’s largely responsible for the greatest achievement in Wigan’s history, and he’s being allowed to slip out of the back door with just a few Twitter tributes.
As someone who has served the club for six years I would have liked to have seen him given a greater role to try and dig us out of the mess we’re in this season. Malky has said he wants to focus on the players who have a long-term future at the club which is understandable – but in the short-term we really need to make sure we’re still in the Championship.
But the purpose of this blog isn’t to criticise the management and the transfer activity in this window (although Wigan fans have plenty of opinions on that) – it is to say thank you to a true Wigan legend.
We all have our memories of that magical day at Wembley. I’ll never forget that goal going in and turning to the rest of my family to see us all have tears of joy in our eyes. And you did that, Ben. I drink tea from a mug with your face on every day and I live in fear of pressing delete by accident on my Sky Plus planner next to where it says ‘FA Cup Final Highlights.’
Where this leaves Malky Mackay on the popularity scale is another issue. Ben’s departure won’t be a popular one with the fans but the club have said that part of the reason for the move is that he wanted to move back home to the south. So from a personal point of view, we could end up as neighbours in the capital. And if we do he’ll always be welcome round at mine for a brew out of his mug. Good luck my hero.
