| Club: | Wigan Athletic |
| Season: | 1997–98 |
| Manager: | John Deehan |
| Chairman: | Dave Whelan |
| Stadium: | Springfield Park |
| League: | Second Division |
| League Result: | 11th |
| Cup2: | FA Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| Cup3: | League Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | First round |
| Cup4: | Auto Windscreens Shield |
| Cup4 Result: | Quarter finals |
| League Topscorer: | Lowe (16) |
| Season Topscorer: | Lowe (18) |
| Average Attendance: | 3,968 |
| Prevseason: | 1996–97 |
| Nextseason: | 1998–99 |
During the 1997–98 English football season, Wigan Athletic F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.
In the 1997–98 season, Wigan didn't start the campaign very well and by the end of November, sat in the bottom four and were favourites to go down before the season started and it seemed a possibility at that stage. By 21 February, their fortunes didn't really improve and were still in the relegation battle in 17th and two points clear of the relegation zone. From then onwards, Wigan went on a great run of form to end the season with seven wins from their final 15 league games and finished in a satisfying 11th place.
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | £300,000 | 30 June 1997 | [1] | |||
| MF | £250,000 | 18 July 1997 | ||||
| DF | £250,000 | 30 July 1997 | ||||
| MF | £120,000 | 8 August 1997 | ||||
| MF | Undisclosed | 7 January 1998 | ||||
| FW | £45,000 | 26 March 1998 |
| Player | Pos | To | Fee | Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | £11,500 | 22 July 1997 | ||||
| FW | £40,000 | 2 October 1997 | ||||
| FW | £60,000 | 31 October 1997 | ||||
| MF | £20,000 | 12 December 1997 |
| Player | Pos | From | Date | Duration | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | 15 August 1997 | One month | ||||
| FW | 6 November 1997 | One month | ||||
| DF | 24 December 1997 | One month | ||||
| DF | 26 March 1998 | End of season |
Wigan Athletic's score comes first[2]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
See main article: 1997-98 Football League.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 5–2 | 4,706 | O'Connell (3), Green, Kilford | |
| 16 August 1997 | Bournemouth | A | 0–1 | 3,799 | ||
| 23 August 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–1 | 3,761 | Lowe | |
| 30 August 1997 | Bristol City | A | 0–3 | 9,255 | ||
| 2 September 1997 | Carlisle United | A | 0–1 | 5,352 | ||
| 8 September 1997 | Wrexham | H | 3–2 | 3,872 | O'Connell, Lowe, Jones (pen) | |
| 13 September 1997 | Blackpool | H | 3–0 | 5,517 | Johnson, Lowe (2) | |
| 20 September 1997 | Northampton Town | A | 0–1 | 6,570 | ||
| 27 September 1997 | Fulham | H | 2–1 | 4,951 | Johnson, Greenall | |
| 4 October 1997 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | 4,623 | Lowe | |
| 11 October 1997 | Chesterfield | A | 3–2 | 4,673 | O'Connell, Greenall, Lowe | |
| 18 October 1997 | Luton Town | H | 1–1 | 4,466 | Jones (pen) | |
| 21 October 1997 | Gillingham | H | 1–4 | 3,214 | Lee | |
| 25 October 1997 | Millwall | A | 1–1 | 7,986 | Jones | |
| 1 November 1997 | York City | H | 1–1 | 3,701 | Greenall | |
| 4 November 1997 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–3 | 5,446 | Lowe | |
| 8 November 1997 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 2,716 | ||
| 22 November 1997 | Preston North End | H | 1–4 | 5,649 | Kilford | |
| 29 November 1997 | Watford | A | 1–2 | 9,455 | Jones | |
| 2 December 1997 | Bristol Rovers | H | 3–0 | 2,738 | Kilford, Lowe (2) | |
| 13 December 1997 | Burnley | A | 2–0 | 9,520 | Lee, Jones | |
| 20 December 1997 | Brentford | H | 4–0 | 3,301 | Lowe, Smeets (2), Kilford | |
| 26 December 1997 | Wrexham | A | 2–2 | 4,577 | Smeets, Kilford | |
| 28 December 1997 | Carlisle United | H | 0–2 | 4,511 | ||
| 10 January 1998 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 2–1 | 5,549 | Martínez, Lee | |
| 17 January 1998 | Bristol City | H | 0–3 | 5,078 | ||
| 24 January 1998 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 2–3 | 4,345 | Kilford, Lee | |
| 31 January 1998 | Blackpool | A | 2–0 | 5,288 | Warne, Lydiate (own goal) | |
| 7 February 1998 | Northampton Town | H | 1–1 | 3,579 | Morgan | |
| 14 February 1998 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–2 | 3,548 | ||
| 21 February 1998 | Fulham | A | 0–2 | 7,791 | ||
| 24 February 1998 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 4,403 | Jones | |
| 28 February 1998 | Chesterfield | H | 2–1 | 3,017 | Lowe, Jones (pen) | |
| 7 March 1998 | York City | A | 2–2 | 3,536 | Greenall, Jones | |
| 14 March 1998 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–0 | 4,277 | Kilford | |
| 17 March 1998 | Southend United | H | 1–3 | 2,616 | Lowe | |
| 21 March 1998 | Walsall | A | 0–1 | 3,169 | ||
| 28 March 1998 | Preston North End | A | 1–1 | 10,171 | Lowe | |
| 4 April 1998 | Watford | H | 3–2 | 4,262 | Barlow, Lowe, Kilford | |
| 7 April 1998 | Bournemouth | H | 1–0 | 2,798 | Lee | |
| 10 April 1998 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–5 | 6,038 | ||
| 13 April 1998 | Burnley | H | 5–1 | 4,926 | Barlow, Lowe (2), Warne, Kilford | |
| 18 April 1998 | Brentford | A | 2–0 | 4,480 | Bradshaw (pen), Kilford | |
| 21 April 1998 | Walsall | H | 2–0 | 2,725 | Barlow, Jones | |
| 24 April 1998 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | 4,045 | ||
| 2 May 1998 | Gillingham | A | 0–0 | 10,361 |
See main article: 1997–98 FA Cup.
| First | 15 November 1997 | Carlisle United | A | 1–0 | 5,182 | Jones | |
| Second | 6 December 1997 | York City | H | 2–1 | 4,021 | Martínez, Lee | |
| Third | 3 January 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–4 | 22,402 | Lee, Lowe |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup.
| First (1st leg) | 12 August 1997 | Chesterfield | H | 1–2 | 3,413 | Lee | |
| First (2nd leg) | 26 August 1997 | Chesterfield | A | 0–1 (lost 1–3 on agg) | 4,076 |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Trophy.
| First (Northern) | 9 December 1997 | Lincoln City | H | 2–0 | 1,467 | Jones (2, 1 pen) | |
| Second (Northern) | 20 January 1998 | Rotherham United | H | 3–0 | 1,495 | Jones (2), Lowe | |
| Quarter final (Northern) | 27 January 1998 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 1,687 |