It’s the 11th of May 2013 and Wembley Stadium is rocking. England’s biggest footballing stadium and one of the biggest in the world is packed to the rafters because it is the FA Cup final. English football’s curtain closer and the oldest cup competition in the world but even then not many would have been interested in this game given the two sides taking part but that’s something we’ll get to later. For now, we’re into the 90+1 minute out of three added minutes and Shaun Maloney is preparing to take a corner as Joe Hart barks instructions at his men.

Because let’s get one thing straight, the spirit of this Lactics’ team was never questioned but their quality and ability on the night against a Manchester City were. Yet while the likes of Callum McManaman James McArthur, James McCarthy and Joel Robles did relatively well, they simply did not have the quality and panache that their opponents in the final did. And yet, despite their lack of star power or even world-class talent, Wigan Athletic did very well for themselves.

They were sitting inside the relegation zone and faced Arsenal three days after the FA Cup final to decide their fate but for now, their attention was focused on the cup. But if their league form was shaky then their cup run was anything but that. The Lactics didn’t storm into the final but they eased their way there although it certainly took their best efforts. Bournemouth, a League One side, forced a replay after a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium in Round three.

Macclesfield, a National League side, made Martinez and his side work for their 1-0 win and that at that point of time, Wigan hadn’t even made Round 5 for nigh over 26 years. That changed although you ask Macclesfield fans and they’ll tell you that they should have had a penalty. Next up was Huddersfield and the Terries proved to be light work for Wigan as they ran out 4-1 winners. Then Everton stepped to the plate and again Wigan swatted them aside with a 3-0 win and it could have been even more which left Millwall with no chance.

The Lions struggled and had to watch as Maloney and McManaman scored twice to send Wigan into the club’s first FA Cup final. Their opponents on the night would be Manchester City, a club they first met 42 years ago in the FA Cup. On that particular night, Wigan were a non-league team, City were a power in the land but only won 1-0 and the Cityzens in 2013 were certainly not an easy team to face. They walked into the season on the back of their first-ever Premier League title but had spent all of the 2012/13 season chasing Manchester United. To make things even worse, they lost to Aston Villa in the EFL Cup with the Villians scoring twice in extra-time to ensure a win.

It was a humiliating loss for the club and their only hope was the FA Cup, and Roberto Mancini ensured that his side reached the final. They were forced to work hard with Stoke City proving to be a tough nut to break after a 3-0 win over Watford. The Cityzens eventually cracked it and then followed it with wins over Leeds United and Barnsley in the fifth and sixth round respectively. Then came their biggest threat but City walked away 2-1 winners despite a clear penalty not given for Chelsea. Luck had played its part and somehow the Cityzens had walked into another final.

Yet everything seemed against them which meant that it was practically the perfect script to write for any filmmaker and the icing on the cake, no Wigan player had ever played an FA Cup final. City had won the 2011 tournament so had quite a few to help them get over the Wembley nerves and it never seemed to make a difference. The Lactics also had Ben Watson back from injury after the versatile midfielder recovered from a fractured leg enough to make the bench.

That would prove key in the second half but the first half showed the world and all those in Wembley that Wigan had come to play football. They had early chances for Callum McManaman with the winger’s pace and trickery proving a lot to handle for Gael Clichy. The 21-year-old would torture the City left-back all night and had he not been a tad selfish, the game wouldn’t have been goalless going into the second half. But City proved to be just as big a threat and given the superstars on their team-sheet few expected them not to be.

It was still goalless going into the second half which meant that the game was there to be won and yet Manchester City couldn’t keep up with McManaman. The winger was proving to be hell to deal with and 15 minutes into the second half, he forced Pablo Zabaleta to take one for the team and earn a yellow card. City didn’t care because they were growing into the game as Zabaleta and Clichy flashed cross after cross across box, and yet Wigan stood firm.

But with nine minutes left on the clock, Martinez brought on Ben Watson with him replacing Jordi Gomez in the hopes that Watson would provide something at either end. That was to help the growing Manchester City pressure although that lasted less than three minutes. Because with six minutes to go, McManaman was at it again, as he charged forward on the break against a group of four Manchester City players.

Clichy marshalled the ball out for a corner and the stadium fell silent. Shaun Maloney steps up as Martinez sends forth the cavalry with only two left outside the box wary of the counter. Mancini, and Hart, barks instructions to help get their side into the perfect defensive shape and the City defenders oblige.

The stadium’s announcer tells the ninety thousand plus people at Wembley that they’ll get three minutes of added time before extra-time. Every corner has come to nought until this point, so why would this be any different but the crowd believed otherwise as a streak of hope rolled along in Wembley. Maloney placed the ball on the line, he looks around for the signal from inside the box, and then winds up his right foot and gently fires in a delightful corner.