Wigan Athletic FC

The rise of Wigan Athletic to the Premiership is perhaps the most astonishing in the league's history. As the first Premier League season came to an end in 1993, Wigan were being relegated to the third division. To further compound their misery, they finished 19th the following season, the lowest finish in the clubs history. However, the arrival of JJB Sports boss Dave Whelan as chairman in 1995 marked the start of a remarkable rise to fame for the small Lancashire club.

On the outskirts of Greater Manchester, Wigan is predominantly a rugby-league supporting town, with its football team forever living in the shadow of Manchester United. However, with the arrival of Whelan and the move from Springfield Park to the plush 25,000 capacity JJB Stadium in 1999, the Latics embarked upon a new era.

Having stormed to the title in what is now League 1, amassing 100 points in the process, Wigan Athletic's rise to the top was completed in 2005 when they were promoted to the top-flight, finishing second in the Championship behind Sunderland. Nathan Ellington and Jason Roberts' 45 goals saw them both in the Championship team of the season and Wigan embarked upon the first Premier League campaign in the 2005/06 season.

As if Wigan's rise to the top was not remarkable enough, they defied any critics by not only finishing 10th in 2005/06, but also reaching the League cup final, eventually losing out to Manchester United. Wigan's 2006/07 campaign proved to be more of a struggle, surviving relegation on the final day after dramatically beating Sheffield United, who themselves were relegated. Manager Paul Jewell's resignation came hours after the victory, marking the end of an extremely successful reign at the club.