David Artell says it is no surprise that John Sheridan has gone into Wigan Athletic and helped galvanise and stabilise the club.

The Latics were relegated from League One after suffering an unfortunate points’ deduction and Sheridan replaced Paul Cook back in September. It has been a testing time for off the pitch over the summer - but on it, they have bounced back from successive defeats to Gillingham and Ipswich Town to record more recent wins over Portsmouth and Doncaster Rovers.

Sheridan, 56, has a wealth of experience having managed the likes of Oldham, Notts County, Carlisle, Plymouth and Fleetwood Town in the EFL.

The Alex boss said of Sheridan: “You can see why Wigan appointed John after Paul Cook left. He has great experience of management, he had a fantastic career as a player and has a lot of knowhow. There is not much he hasn’t seen in football.

“He takes no rubbish and he is his own man. He is the ideal man to steady the ship there at the moment.

“It will be a tough game because John will stamp his authority on them. His teams always work hard and he gets a lot out of them. It will be a good game and we will have to make a real good fist of it to get something from it.”