During the 2004–05 English football season, Wigan Athletic F.C.

Wigan Athletic F.C.

Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

 competed in the Football League Championship

Football League Championship

The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

.

Season summary

After only 32 years as a Football League club, Wigan Athletic won promotion to English football's top flight for the first time in their history, by virtue of finishing second. This was also their highest-ever finish in the Football League in their history.

Wigan's league success did not translate to the domestic cup competitions: they only played one match in each cup before being knocked out. This may have turned out to be beneficial to Wigan, as it allowed the club to focus on the league rather than a cup run.

Squad

Squad at end of season

Left club during season

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions

• GK: #1,   John Filan, 47
• RB: #19,   Nicky Eaden, 34
• CB: #4,   Matt Jackson
  Matt Jackson
  Matthew Alan "Matt" Jackson is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender throughout his career and represented and captained England at U21 level.-Career:...
  
  , 36
• CB: #6,   Ian Breckin
  Ian Breckin
  Ian Breckin is an English professional footballer who plays for Chesterfield. He previously played in the Football League for Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic and Nottingham Forest.-Early career:...
  
  , 43
• LB: #26,   Leighton Baines
  Leighton Baines
  Leighton John Baines is an English footballer who plays for Everton and the England national football team.He started his career with Wigan Athletic, with whom he won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season and was a runner-up in the 2004–05 Championship and the 2006 Football League Cup Final....
  
  , 42
• RM: #20,   Gary Teale
  Gary Teale
  Gary Teale is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as a winger for St. Mirren.Teale started his career in Scotland in 1995 with Clydebank before spending three years with Ayr United...
  
  , 30
• CM: #14,   Alan Mahon
  Alan Mahon
  Alan Joseph Mahon is an Irish footballer who plays a midfielder and has been capped by the Republic of Ireland.-Early career: Tranmere Rovers and Sporting Clube de Portugal:...
  
  , 23
• CM: #21,   Jimmy Bullard
  Jimmy Bullard
  James Richard "Jimmy" Bullard is a footballer who currently plays for Ipswich Town. He played youth football at West Ham before moving to Gravesend & Northfleet in 1998...
  
  , 47
• LM: #10,   Lee McCulloch
  Lee McCulloch
  Lee Henry McCulloch is a Scottish association footballer who currently plays for Scottish Premier League side Rangers.He has been capped on 18 occasions by the Scotland national football team. During his career McCulloch has played for Motherwell, Wigan Athletic and Rangers as club level...
  
  , 43
• CF: #9,   Nathan Ellington
  Nathan Ellington
  Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington is an English footballer who plays a striker for Championship side Ipswich Town.-Non-league and Bristol Rovers:...
  
  , 43
• CF: #30,   Jason Roberts
  Jason Roberts (footballer)
  Jason Andre Davis Roberts MBE is an English-born Grenadian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Born in Park Royal, London, Roberts began playing football from an early age, and spent time in the youth academies at several professional clubs, but was not...
  
  , 46