Where are They Now? The Team That Got Wigan to the Premier League

Ten years ago to this very day, Wigan Athletic were on the verge. A team led by Paul Jewell was closing in on the big time, the Premier League!! All the work of the season had come down to this one game, win and we would be into the promised land.

A team packed with stars and players who will go down in history for Wigan Athletic, but just what has become to the team from ten years ago?

John Filan

Signed by Paul Jewell in our promotion hunt into the then Division One (Championship) the vastly experienced Australian goalkeeper joined us from local Premier League rivals Blackburn Rovers. The goalkeeper would go onto spend six years with the club making over 180 appearances, including a substitute appearance in the League Cup final against Manchester United in 2006.

Filan left the club in 2007 and returned home to Australia where is looked like the veteran keeper would go onto play for Sydney FC. Unfortunately any such chances fell through and the keeper moved into coaching. This move led to him taking up the role of assistant coach for Blackburn Rovers Under-21 side where he now remains

Nicky Eaden

The Yorkshire born right back initially joined the club on loan in 2002 before joining on a free transfer in the summer from Birmingham City. The defender very quickly became a fan favourite amongst Wigan supporters and would spend three years with the club till the summer of our promotion, when his contract ran out.

This then prompted a move to Nottingham Forest where Eaden spent two years, including two loan moves to Lincoln City. In 2009 his playing career came to an end finishing at non-league Kettering Town. Coaching roles have followed at Peterborough and Rotherham. And like Filan Nicky is now coaching the players of tomorrow working at Leicester City's youth academy.

Stephen McMillan

Signed alongside Lee McCulloch from Motherwell the Scottish left back was a huge success in his initial period with the club at the age of 25. Injuries though would be the highlight of the defenders career with the club, performances when able showed the players touch of class; yet his true potential was never reached.

In the end the defender had to walk away from football, a serious knee injury in the semi-final game against Arsenal in the League Cup ending the players footballing days.

Ian Breckin

Breckinbauer as he became known was signed from Chesterfield and spent three years with Wigan playing alongside the likes of Jason De Vos and Matt Jackson on our charge to the Premier League. Breckin never got the reward for his performances with Latics though as he was sold to Nottingham Forrest where he went onto become captain and spend four years of his playing career before returning to Chesterfield in 2009.

Two more years followed with the South Yorkshire side. Upon retiring Breckin got involved in with a local football team Wickersley Wanderers helping out with coaching of the kids.

Matt Jackson

A continual solid and dependable defender who was at the foundation of our promotion to the Premier League and beyond. He would lose his place in the Wigan side to the Arjan De Zeeuw and Stephane Henchoz during out inaugural season in the Premier League. Yet Matt would remain with the team till 2007 when he would move to Watford.

One more year of professional football which included 9 appearances, six for Watford FC and three with Blackpool FC. Following retirement he would go into work for sports management company IMG as a football consultant. In 2011 though Matt was brought back home as Roberto Martinez and Jonathan Jackson brought him back to work on developing the youth and academy structure of the club.

Jason Jarrett

The versatile midfielder who could quite literally play anywhere. Unfortunately Jarrett was another player who never got the chance to play for the club in the Premier League has he was moved on in the summer of 2005, but his three years spent at the club from 2002 saw him help the team to two successive promotions.

Now at the ripe old age of 35 Jarrett is still plying his football trade, although out of the football league, with Salford City. Since leaving us Jason has gone on to play for a staggering 13 different clubs from Brighton to Preston and even Oldham. Credit to a player who just always loved to be playing football no matter where he was on the pitch.

Jimmy Bullard

The joker in the pack, renowned within the dressing room as a joker and the Premier League became Bullard's biggest stage. An impressive first season saw Fulham meet his buyout clause and 'our Jimmy' was off to the big lights of London.

His Fulham adventure though would be hampered by injury, after becoming Wigan's all time consecutive appearance holder; his Fulham days would not be as fruitful. There were still some dazzling displays of brilliance and the midfielder was even brought into the England squad, although he never featured, yet it wasn't done on a regular basis. A move to Hull for a fee believed to be £5 million saw flashes before his contract was terminated. One season at Ipswich before moving on to MK Dons where he retired in 2012.

Bullard has gone on to have various TV appearances including appearing in the 2014 show of I am a celebrity get me out of here. Whereas ever Jimmy was up to his usual tricks.

Graham Kavanagh

Bought from a Cardiff City in trouble for the bargain price of £400,000, the midfield marshal that was Graham Kavanagh became an important figure within the Wigan team in both promotion and the Premier League. Yet he remained only for the clubs inaugural season before moving on to join up with fellow Republic of Ireland man Roy Keane at Sunderland.

Three hit and miss years at Sunderland which saw him go out twice on loan to Sheffield Wednesday before Carlisle United, where he eventually permanently moved to in 2009. Two full seasons as a player/coach before hanging up his boots and moving into the back room staff at Carlisle. Kavanagh went on to take up the managers role in 2013, but was sacked the following summer after a poor start to the season.

Lee McCulloch

Super Lee! Was he a striker or was he a winger? You could never quite tell just what was going to happen with Lee on the pitch. A passionate player who always gave everything he got and so lended himself to Wigan hearts. Singing in 2000 he would have a seven year career with the club making over 200 appearances before boyhood club Rangers came knocking.

Everyone knew that once that happened Lee was on his way. As much as the club did want to keep him here, after all his years of service and for him to have the chance to play for his boyhood club it was too hard to say no. Since then McCulloch has gone on to be an important role amongst all the chaos that has happened at Rangers. Current captain he has led them back to the brink of the SPL.

Jason Roberts

The scorer of our first ever Premier League goal, probably one of two goal scorers who will go down in Wigan Athletic history books. Signed in our first Championship season, Roberts alongside Nathan Ellington began a partnership that managers dream of. Unlike his striker partner though Roberts continued his stay with Wigan Athletic into the Premier League. Leading the team to League Cup Final and to Premier League safety alongside strike partner Henri Camera.

Roberts though would move on following our first season. The striker joined Blackburn for a six year spell in which he was in and out of the side. Eventually endearing his hearts to their fans with his gutsy performances and that strength and passion we all loved to see in him.

From Blackburn to Reading where he would go onto end his career following persistent hip problems. That was after he had managed to clock up a total of 154 career goals. Roberts is still involved in football today working alongside the BBC in commentating and appearing on match of the day.

Roberts also has a charity foundation, in his name, where he works with children in the UK and Grenada to work on diversity and promoting cultural awareness and respect.

Nathan Ellington

The Duke, the man who fired us up the football league ladder into the Premier league. Signing from Bristol Rovers in 2002 Ellington went onto fire 59 goals for the club and in the process became the clubs second highest all time goal scorer. Yet the grass was supposedly greener for Ellington, the striker taking the option to leave the club as we entered the Premier League and join West Bromwich Albion instead. The player struggled during a two year spell with the club and eventually left for Watford, where it didn't get any better. Continual loan spells during a four year period saw the player never settle into anything you would call his best form.

The striker was released by Watford in 2011 and he then went onto spend two more years with Ipswich town after being brought to the club by former Wigan manager Paul Jewell. Jewell was never able to get the best out of his player and in the remaining two years of his footballing career Ellington would go on to fail to score, finishing his career with non-league Southport in 2013.