Interim manager John McGreal is expecting a tough game away against second-in-the-table Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday.
McGreal’s time in charge of the Blues got off to a thoroughly disappointing start when Town were beaten 2-0 at Charlton on Tuesday and he knows they will have to be significantly better against the Latics than they were at the Valley.
"The performance [at Charlton] we know wasn’t good enough, 20 minutes was decent to a certain degree, but then after that we have to improve and you can see the boys’ emotions, the way they are after the game,” he said.
"It’s our job now to pick them up. We’ve got a big enough squad to do it and there’s no reason why they can’t do it.
"What better place to go than to a team that’s now second in the table to try and put on a good performance that the fans are looking for? That’s the main thing that the fans are looking for and if we do, we’ll get the three points.”
McGreal has been impressed with the job Leam Richardson, former Town boss Paul Cook’s assistant at Wigan, Portsmouth and Chesterfield, has done at the DW Stadium. Richardson was made caretaker-manager of the Latics in November last year, having had a similar spell earlier in the season, before being handed the reins permanently in April.
"He has [done a good job], absolutely,” McGreal said. "Very efficient in what they do. Different to Charlton, Charlton are efficient in what they do and Wigan are very efficient in what they do.
"It’s going to be a really, really tough game and the thing with Wigan is that they keep going and going and going. You only have to look at their results throughout the season.
"It’s going to be a really tough game, we know that, but our boys have to stand up and be counted and be accountable for what’s going on on the pitch.
"We put in information into them but we all have to be one, which is the most important thing and the thing we’ve been talking about - just being a collective and trying to win as a collective as well.”
McGreal explained why he switched Janoi Donacien from right-back to left-back at Charlton rather than utilising Kane Vincent-Young, who played there for him during his time as manager at Colchester, in that role with the ex-U's man coming in on the right of the defence.
"Their star player is [Diallang] Jaiyesimi,” he said. "Obviously they talk a lot about the [Jayden] Stockley boy up top, but Jaiyesimi over the last few weeks and months has been a really, really big star player for them, a lot of the play goes through him.
"And, as well as playing with Kane, when JD was at Accrington, we came up against Accrington a couple of times a season and he was a left-back, and he was always in and around the team of the year when he was coming up, and then obviously Paul Hurst brought him to the club.
"I know what JD can do as a defender, so that was the point of that call. He did a brilliant job on Jaiyesimi as he was actually subbed and when the other boy, [Jonathan] Leko, came on, he did another great job on him defending-wise.
"So you know what you’re getting defensively, it was just the other parts from the team in that aspect, we weren’t good enough after 20 minutes.”
McGreal has had a little more time to work with the squad since the Charlton game so second-guessing his team selection for Wigan both in terms of personnel and system isn’t easy.
If he sticks with the 4-3-2-1 familiar to the players from Cook’s time in charge - and the same as the Latics operate - then former Wigan loanee Christian Walton is likely to continue in goal with the full-backs probably the same as at the Valley and with George Edmundson and Toto Nsiala again the centre-halves.
In central midfield, McGreal could look at a change having started skipper and ex-Latic Sam Morsy and Lee Evans, who joined the Blues from Wigan in the summer, against the Addicks. Tom Carroll, Rekeem Harper and Idris El Mizouni are alternative options.
Out wide, Kyle Edwards and Sone Aluko started at Charlton and McGreal might look to swap the former West Brom youngster for Scott Fraser on the left.
Fraser started as the number 10 at the Valley but Conor Chaplin might be seen as a better option for that position, unless Bersant Celina is back from his injury.
Macauley Bonne, who has now gone seven games without a goal, is likely to start with James Norwood having returned to the fold and probably on the bench, presumably champing at the bit to get on and add to his two goals in two matches for the U23s.
Young midfielder Cameron Humphreys again looks set to be among the substitutes having made his league debut at Charlton.
The Latics, second behind leaders Rotherham on goal difference, nine places and 14 points ahead of the Blues, are undefeated in their last 10 in all competitions, five in the league. At home they have won six, drawn three and lost two.
The Latics have a concern over midfielder Jordan Cousins, who limped off with a dead leg during the first half of Wednesday’s 2-1 home victory over Shrewsbury.
Historically, Town have beaten the Latics seven times (six in the league), have lost six times (five) and the teams have drawn three times in the league and in one League Cup tie.
The Blues are unbeaten in eight against the Latics, having won five, while drawing the other three.
Town’s last defeat to the Lancastrians was back in March 2014 at Portman Road when Wigan won 3-1 to complete a double having beaten the Blues 2-0 at the DW Stadium earlier in the campaign.
In March, now-departed Town boss Cook’s return to his former club ended in a 0-0 draw.
James Norwood came closest to a goal in the first half, while Funso Ojo and Callum Lang had the best opportunities for the Latics in the second with a draw a fair result.
On the opening day of the 2020/21 League One season, the Blues’ Sky hoodoo was finally vanquished as Paul Lambert’s side opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Wigan at Portman Road.
Town, who hadn’t won when playing live in front of the Sky cameras for 16 matches going back to December 2015, went ahead through Bishop’s first goal in nearly six years in the 11th minute before sub Edwards added the second on 80.
Blues midfielders Morsy and Evans are both former Wigan players. Morsy was with the Latics between January 2016 and September 2020 and Evans from August 2018, initially on loan from Sheffield Wednesday, until last summer when he joined the Blues.
Keeper Walton was on loan at the DW Stadium in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons. All three were members of the side which won the League One title in 2018/19.
Town club secretary Stuart Hayton is a Wigan fan who worked at the Latics for more than 20 years.
Wigan winger Gwion Edwards joined the Latics in the summer after turning down the offer of a new deal with the Blues. The Welshman made 82 starts and 27 sub appearances for Town, scoring 14 times having signed from Peterborough in July 2018.
Striker Will Keane, who was released by Town at the end of 2019/20, joined Wigan in October year last following a trial.
The former Manchester United trainee made 28 starts and 13 sub appearances for the Blues, scoring nine times, having signed initially on loan in January 2019.
Wigan centre-half Curtis Tilt, who is on loan from Rotherham, almost joined Town in the summer of 2018 from Blackpool after a protracted pursuit by then-manager Paul Hurst.
Saturday’s referee is veteran official Trevor Kettle, who has shown 62 yellow cards and six red in 16 games so far this season.
The Rutland-based whistler’s most recent Town match was the Papa John’s Trophy victory at Gillingham in October in which he booked Harper, El Mizouni and two home players.
Prior to that he was in charge of the 1-0 home defeat of Crewe in October last year in which he showed yellow cards to Kayden Jackson, Andre Dozzell, Gwion Edwards, Alan Judge and one Alex player.
He also refereed the 1-0 defeat to Coventry at Portman Road in March 2020 in which he again cautioned Dozzell, as well as Freddie Sears and Will Norris.
In August 2019 Kettle was in charge of the 3-0 home victory over Shrewsbury in which he red-carded Shrews midfielder Shaun Whalley in the 38th minute for a second bookable offence and showed yellow cards to three of his team-mates and Flynn Downes.
In addition, Kettle awarded the Blues a penalty after Vincent-Young had had his legs taken away from him by Josh Laurent, which was converted by James Norwood.
He took control of the 2-1 win at Fulham in December 2015 in which he kept his cards in his pocket throughout.
Before that, he was the man in the middle for the 4-4 draw at Derby in October 2013 in which he booked five Blues and one home player.
Kettle also refereed the 1-1 draw at Barnsley in September 2012 when he again booked five Town players.
Prior to that, he officiated in the 2-1 win at Burnley in April 2011 when he showed seven yellow cards in total, four to Blues.
Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Vincent-Young, Donacien, Clements, Penney, Edmundson, Nsiala, Burgess, Woolfenden, Morsy, Evans, Harper, El Mizouni, Carroll, Fraser, Humphreys, Chaplin, Celina, Edwards, Bonne, Pigott, Norwood, Jackson.