The 1994-95 season proved to be a debacle for Wigan Athletic football club. Despite a small improvement in the league, a 14th place finish, the latics were far from convincing. They did not enjoy their domestic cup campaigns, finishing off in the second round of both competitions. Most notably suffering a humiliating defeat against non league outfit, Altrincham, in the second round of the FA Cup. They met Aston Villa in the league cup and over the two legs they suffered an 8-0 hammering on aggregate.
With improvement viewed to be essential, the Latics brought in Colin Greenall, an assured central defender and Spanish football ace, Roberto Martinez. Wigan improved as their campaign progressed and they finished the season off in 10th position, winning a remarkable 20 matches. The curse of the League cup occurred again, with the club suffering a 7-2 hammering on aggregate against Chester City in the first round. It was in the year 1995 when a local millionaire, David Whelan, bought the club and clearly stated a vision of seeing them reach the top flight.
The 1996-97 season was a joyous time period for the club as they were outstanding in the third division, finishing the season off at the top of the table, winning the third division title. David Lowe broke the league goal scoring record at Wigan as he scored his 66th league goal during the campaign. It was Wigan's first year back in the third tier of English football for five years. The Latics finished the campaign off in 11th position and reached the third round of the FA Cup, losing against Blackburn Rovers 4-2. Bruce Rioch took charge at the club the next year.