Product Description

Every football fan must say it at the outset of every league campaign: "I will go to every game this season". Wigan Athletic-mad Martin Tarbuck nearly did it a couple of seasons ago until he overslept and missed the 7 am train to Brentford by six hours. But in season 2002-03, he managed it. And what a year to do it! Wigan Athletic not only reached the quarter finals of the Worthington Cup, an unprecedented feat for the club, but also clinched promotion to Division One for the first time in its history. It was the stuff that dreams are made of (for Wigan Athletic fans, at least). Along the way, he visited the true sporting amphitheatres of modern football - Boundary Park, Gresty Road, Ninian Park - and watched his team come out unscathed clutching three precious points. From Cheltenham to Cardiff, via Colchester, Crewe, Chesterfield and other sleepy towns which don't begin with C, it was a long, hard slog. From Plymouth to Peterborough, Wigan's travelling band of reprobates - nicknamed the "Mudhuts" - drank themselves silly and saluted their wonderful boys in blue. After ten months, 67 games and several thousand miles in what was an historic season for Wigan Athletic, it seemed only natural to Martin Tarbuck to record it all for posterity's sake. The Four Seasons' hit "Let's Hang On" became the systematic anthem of Wigan Athletic fans throughout the 2002-03 season due to the team's ability to score a goal then defend their lead stoutly until the final whistle. In fact, Wigan Athletic and its supporters did more "hanging on" that season than the occupants of the monkey house at Chester Zoo. Seen through the eyes of one of the club's staunchest supporters, "Let's Hang On" tells the story of the promotion-winning season. As well as cataloguing the action from an unforgettable campaign, it gives a flavour of the fun, passion and pressure that fans of the club experienced along the way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #545300 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Martin Tarbuck, also known as 'Jimmy T', is an accountant for a major bank and editor of the Cockney Latic fanzine. Although a failed footballer, this hasn't stopped him telling lots of professional players how to do their job over the years. He lives in Wigan.

Customer Reviews

Kenny Swain is a merchant banker
Cracking read for all Latics fans, and a novelty due to the lack of literature on our team! The first 100 pages slid by as I had my first sesh on the bog. The rest followed the day after with a few bevvies. It's a good insight into the world of the typical (drunk) Latics fan touring the country; and what a superb season to choose as WAFC break all records and reach the heady heights of Div 1. Good accounts of the matches and amusing stories of Jimmy's travels. Buy it and enjoy with a crate of stella and a pack of woodbines. Av it!

A fantastic year....
...summarised in one book. I only got to around 12 of these games, not being a local lad anymore, but listened to the rest on the radio, onteletext, on mobile phones, etc. And this book brought it all back.
Agreat read on a momentous season. If you're a Latics fan buy a copy of this book for everyone in your family. If you're just a football fan, buy a copy for yourselves and lend it out. If you're a Rugby League fan...go away.