Jewell looks on bright side as Wigan win

THE date was October 16, 2001, and Paul Jewell had sunk as low as he could go with Wigan. Bottom of the old Second Division, the Latics were hammered 5-1 at Wrexham in an LDV Vans Trophy Northern Section first-round tie in front of just 1,550 fans.

Jewell had only been in the job four months and it seemed his days were numbered, yet chairman Dave Whelan had belief in the 43-year-old and the rest, as they say, is history.

It is why Jewell is far from tearing his hair out after losing the seventh of eight games since taking charge of Derby, and with the club staring at an immediate return to the Championship.

After watching Antoine Sibierski rifle home an 82nd-minute winner, Jewell said: “I know it’s tough being a Derby fan right now, but the picture is not as black as some people think.

“We’re odds-on to go down and we know that, but then we were odds-on before a ball was even kicked this season.

“It is why I can draw on all my experience because I’ve been in worse situations than this, with that LDV game at Wrexham being one.

“When I look back on my time at Wigan, it took me four years to build a team that was in League One to reach the Premier League.

“So hopefully the people will trust me, and I’m sure they will, and that in four years we’ll be stronger than we are now.”

Derby — who were reduced to 10 men after 58 minutes on Saturday when Claude Davis was dismissed for two bookable offences — have been the most active Premier League club in this month’s transfer window and the signings are poised to continue, with goalkeeper Roy Carroll due to move from Rangers by the end of the week, while an appeal is pending regarding a work permit for Australia international Mile Sterjovski. If the red tape can be cut, the 28-year-old right-winger is likely to cost around £300,000 from Turkish side Genclerbirligi.

DERBY (4-4-2): Price 7, Mears 6, Davis 4, Todd 5, Mills 5, Fagan 4, Savage 5, Ghaly 5 (Macken 85, 5), Robert 5 (Edworthy 59, 5), Villa 6 (Teale 71, 5), Barnes 5.

Subs Not Used: Hinchcliffe, Lewis.

WIGAN (4-4-2): Kirkland 6, Melchiot 7, Bramble 7, Boyce 7, Kilbane 6, Valencia 6, Brown 6, Palacios 6 (Koumas 64, 5), Landzaat 7 (Sibierski 82, 7), Heskey 6, Bent 8 (Olembe 90, 5).

Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Aghahowa.

REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear) 7: Assured: no doubts over the sending-off.

MATCH RATING: ** Wigan helped themselves against Derby, who must wonder if they will scrape into double figures this season.