“Crystal Palace enter the land of consolation but they barely deserve that today,” one commentator noted as he watched Steve Kember’s Eagles fall 5-0 at the hands of Wigan Athletic.
At the final whistle, Wigan goalkeeper John Filan casually balanced the matchball in the crook of his neck - the blasé antics of a man untroubled by a deflated opponent.
For the best part of 90 minutes, Filan had been dormant aside from one stellar block against Dougie Freedman and was made to watch on as Nathan Ellington - who had scored no goals in Wigan’s 10 most recent matches - bagged a brace in a five-goal storming at the then-JJB Stadium.