Wigan Athletic and Wolves made sure of retaining their Premier League status on the very last day of the season. A 3-2 defeat at home to Blackburn caused anxiety for Wolves but they were let off the hook as other results went their way.

The Latics faced an uphill struggle at Stoke. But, after the Potters lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, their morale dropped. They lost their last two league games, 0-3 against the same City and 0-1 at home to Wigan.

Wigan stole the limelight on the final day of the season as they left the Brittania Stadium with a broad smile on their faces after extending their stay in the Premier League to six successive seasons.

That was indeed a feather in the cap for Spanish manager Roberto Martinez who went on to show his loyalty to the club. Days after Wigan’s great escape, Aston Villa approached Martinez to become their new manager but he decided to stay put.

Hence, after back-to-back wins (the other against West Ham at home 3-2), Martinez pulled off a Houdini act to make good on his promise of securing Premier League football for Wigan in 2011/12.

Wigan endured a terrible start, going down 0-4 at the DW Stadium to newly-promoted Blackpool. In their next home outing, they suffered a 6-0 mauling at the hands of Chelsea. But Martinez addressed his team’s early struggles as Wigan bounced back with a 1-0 win at Tottenham.

Martinez likes his teams to play attractive, free-flowing football, and Wigan produced some entertaining stuff at times. Their midfield players, Charles N’Zogbia, Mohamed Diame, Ben Watson, James McCarthy and Tom Cleverley, on loan from Manchester United, had a good season.

Two other players who played a big part in Wigan’s survival mission were striker Hugo Rodallega and goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi, who was voted as the club’s player of the year.

To the wire

Mick McCarthy was not a popular figure last season but he kept Wolves in the top division, even if they had to rely on the results of other teams to stay up.

Critics failed to understand why McCarthy often opted to make do without Steven Fletcher, Wolves’ leading striker. But, as the season progressed, Fletcher had more first-team opportunities. Yet, the survival stroke came from McCarthy with the capture of schemer-cum-scorer Jamie O’Hara, a loan signing from Tottenham.

Wolves were something of an enigma last season as they defeated the likes of Manchester United (the latter’s first defeat of the campaign), Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool but struggled against sides in the lower half of the table.

Matt Jarvis’s trickery made him Wolves player of the season as he had the honour of being picked by England − the first Wolves player in over 20 years to receive an England call-up.

In the League Cup, Wigan reached the quarter-finals, going down 0-2 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

In the FA Cup, it was curtains down in the fourth round as Wigan Athletic lost at Bolton Wanderers after a replay.

Wolves lost 3-2 to Manchester United in the fourth round of the League Cup at Old Trafford.

In the FA Cup, Wolves hit five past Doncaster but their run was ended by Stoke who beat them 1-0 at Molineux in the fourth round.

Premier League results

Wigan Athletic

August − Home vs Blackpool 0-4.
Home vs Chelsea 0-6.
Away vs Tottenham 1-0 (Rodallega).
September − Home vs Sunderland 1-1 (Alcaraz).
Home vs Manchester City 0-2.
Away vs Birmingham 0-0.
October − Home vs Wolves 2-0 (Gomez, Rodallega).
Away vs Newcastle 2-2 (N’Zogbia 2).
Home vs Bolton 1-1 (Rodallega).
Away vs Fulham 0-2.
November − Away vs Blackburn 1-2 (N’Zogbia).
Home vs Liverpool 1-1 (Rodallega).
Home vs West Brom 1-0 (Moses).
Away vs Manchester United 0-2.
Away vs West Ham 1-3 (Cleverley).
December − Home vs Stoke 2-2 (Collings og, Cleverley).
Away vs Everton 0-0.
Away vs Wolves 2-1 (Rodallega, Cleverley).
Home vs Arsenal 2-2 (Watson, Squillaci og).
January − Home vs Newcastle 0-1.
Away vs Bolton 1-1 (Stam).
Home vs Fulham 1-1 (Rodallega).
Away vs Arsenal 0-3.
Home vs Aston Villa 1-2 (McCarthy).
February − Away vs West Brom 2-2 (N’Zogbia, Watson).
Home vs Blackburn 4-3 (McCarthy 2, Rodallega, Watson pen).
Away vs Liverpool 1-1 (Gohouri).
Home vs Manchester United 0-4.
March − Away vs Manchester City0-1.
Home vs Birmingham 2-1 (Cleverley, Figueroa).
April − Home vs Tottenham 0-0.
Away v Chelsea 0-1.
Away vs Blackpool 3-1 (Rodallega, N’Zogbia, Eardley og).
Away vs Sunderland 2-4 (Dianou, Di Santos).
Home vs Everton 1-1 (N’Zogbia).
May − Away vs Aston Villa 1-1 (N’Zogbia).
Home vs West Ham 3-2 (N’Zogbia 2, Sammon).
Away vs Stoke 1-0 (Rodallega).

Wolves

August − Home vs Stoke 2-1 (Jones, Fletcher).
Away vs Everton 1-1 (Ebanks-Blake).
Home vs Newcastle 1-1 (Ebanks-Blake).
September − Away vs Fulham 1-2 (Van Damme).
Away vs Tottenham 1-3 (Fletcher).
Home vs Aston Villa 1-2 (Jarvis).
October − Away vs Wigan 0-2.
Home vs West Ham 1-1 (Jarvis).
Away vs Chelsea 0-2.
Home vs Manchester City 2-1 (Milijas, Edwards).
November − Away vs Manchester United 1-2 (Ebanks-Blake).
Home vs Arsenal 0-2.
Home vs Bolton 2-3 (Foley, Fletcher).
Away vs Blackpool 1-2 (Doyle).
Home vs Sunderland 3-2 (Foley, Hunt, Ebanks-Blake).
December − Away vs Blackburn 0-3.
Home vs Birmingham 1-0 (Hunt).
Home vs Wigan 1-2 (Fletcher).
Away vs Liverpool 1-0 (Ward).
January − Away vs West Ham 0-2.
Home vs Chelsea 1-0 (Bosingwa og.).
Away vs Manchester City 3-4 (Milijas, Doyle pen, Zubar).
Home vs Liverpool 0-3.
February − Away vs Bolton 0-1.
Home vs Manchester United 2-1 (Elokobi, Doyle).
Away vs Arsenal 0-2.
Away vs West Brom 1-1 (O’Hara).
Home vs Blackpool 4-0 (Jarvis, O’Hara, Ebanks-Blake 2).
March − Home vs Tottenham 3-3 (Doyle 2, 1 pen, Fletcher).
Away vs Aston Villa 1-0 (Jarvis).
April − Away vs Newcastle 1-4 (Ebanks-Blake).
Home vs Everton 0-3.
Home vs Fulham 1-1 (Fletcher).
Away vs Stoke 0-3.
May − Away vs Birmingham 1-1 (Fletcher pen).
Home vs West Brom 3-1 (Fletcher 2, Guedioura).
Away vs Sunderland 3-1 (Craddock, Fletcher, Elokobi).
Home vs Blackburn 2-3 (O’Hara, Hunt).