With talk of "thrashings" and "burst bubbles" on the breeze the lads and I arrived in Birmingham on Saturday lunchtime in our usual non-expectant high spirits. Having pitched up at a "Phoenix Nights" style working men's club called The Ruskin we settled in to observe the locals getting over excited about the second city's "other" team getting turned over at Blackburn and partake in a few beers.

At 2.30pm we start (the unexpectedly long) hike to the ground through rows of dilapidated terraced houses, (and they say Wigan is grim!) as we approach the ground it's vaguely impressive but strikes me as being a bit like a bird who was once a looker but now getting on a bit and trying to keep up with her younger rivals with a bit of war paint here and there.

Upon entering possibly the worst away section I have ever seen we trooped along the single open corridor at the back of the seats having surprisingly good banter with the prawn sandwich lot in the exec boxes - we then took our seats (behind the goal, not obstructed - but too low for my liking) - cue reconstructive knee surgery as the seat in front is about 5 inches away.

Painful but I'm not overly bothered about this as maybe it's nice to see an "old bird" for a change as some of these new younger "birds" like Miss Reebook, Miss Riverside and dare I say Miss JJB can be a bit dull.

Game starts and we (the fans) are strangely quiet, for whatever is levelled at the Wigan's support the away fans are superb and up until recent times it was far more enjoyable going on the road than being at the JJB.

However, our unusually quiet start was hugely overshadowed by a home support who didn't seem interested - I think they were testing pulses in the Doug Ellis stand to check your lot were still alive!

We could hear faint strains on the breeze from the famed Holte End but this seemed like 50 or so die hards rather than the crescendo of noise we had expected.

The early exchanges between the teams were as to be expected, whatever that expectation is, Latics seemed to get out of the traps slower than normal but were sparked by a blatant hand ball in the box by the hapless Hughes which the referee chose to ignore - this seemed to get us going and prompted the Latics surge both on and off the pitch - Henri started linking with JR, Jimmy and Pascal owned the right side and it appeared that the real John Filan had got on the coach this week rather than the blatantly unfit impostor who had played in the previous 3 games.

The step up in pace prompted the aforementioned "Hapless Hughes" to do the decent thing and put past his own man! The ex Newcastle player had no chance as Henri put the ball in the famous "corridor of uncertainty" and JR and Damian Francis were breathing down his neck - good lad!

0-1 and we'd only really played well for 10 minutes.

Half time approached and we went for a pie (go on there's one stereotype for you!) early to avoid the queues! Loaded up on half time grub and watching the dying moments of the first half from the corner of the away section nearest the "family stand" - I say family stand in inverted commas as it has to said that the gestures and throat slitting motions coming from here befitted the ultras at the Olympic Stadium in Rome rather than a family section, one fella was sat with his 4 or 5 year old on his knee offering me outside! An interesting example to set.

Got chatting to a couple of the coppers at half time (a Chelsea fan indeed, probably since May), now, I am not the biggest fan of the way away fans are policed, but compliments have to go to the fed's I spoke to at your place. Seemed to know the score of what it is like as a travelling fan and showed up their West Mid's Gestapo cousins at Wolves and West Brom for what they are.

Half time came and went - stayed in the corner for the second half, which carried on with more of the same - OK Villa had a few chances but to be honest I never felt they were going to score - I have never rated Philips or Angel and hence you had a lack of cutting edge, your two best players, Barry and Milner, tried hard but crosses in the box will be dealt with all day by our old but gold Dutch/Swiss centre half combo.

Classic away team counter attack ensued and we could have feasibly had 2 or 3 in the second half if Henri and JR had taken their chances.

Nerves were starting to get the better of me, however step up Jimmy, who slid in the under achieving Irish International (cant believe he still gets called that when it's years since he won a cap) Mahon, who to the strains of me shouting "don't hit it first time" hit it first time and prompted wild celebrations and more banter with your hooli's in the family stand!

Your man still offering to see me outside but now with a 2 year old on the other knee - must be developing a family crew.

As the game was now over and your lot were heading for the exits - it was left for us to do the honours and fill the place with noise with such perennial favourites as "who needs Mourinho, we've got Paul Jewellio" and my personal favourite "Little Wigan are taking the P*@s" - I like this one because it sums up the season so far - no expectation and therefore no disappointment - we are just enjoying life and laughing at the over inflated ego's we are bursting every week.

Don't feel sad you are part of an ever growing band of teams who have under estimated us - we know it wont last forever and if we do stay up our blind naivety will be replaced by expectation but for now life is great.

Thanks for the points and see you next year, assuming you stay up.

Thanks to Chris for sending this in. Next April could be an interesting fixture - let's see if he writes again.