Two years on from the club's finest ever day under the Wembley arch, Wigan Athletic find themselves in the third tier of English football and facing a real battle to earn a place back in the Championship.

Even at the turn of the year, when the Latics were languishing inside the bottom three, there was always hope that they could finally kick-start their season and climb away from danger.

Malky Mackay had been at the helm for more than a month at that stage, taking over from Uwe Rosler on the back of a poor start to the campaign, but the new boss could not bring a change in fortunes with him.

In fact, the appointment of the Scot appeared to have the opposite effect, as discrimination charges and allegations of wrongdoing at former club Cardiff City continued to surface.

Mackay was himself shown the door in April, departing the Lancashire outfit without a single home win to his name, and while Gary Caldwell took four points from his first three games in charge, survival was soon very much out of the question.

Five key results

Wigan Athletic 4-0 Birmingham City, Aug 30, 2014: Having missed out in the playoffs last year, many backed Wigan to go one better this time around and secure their place back in the top flight. A shaky start to the term, in which they took just one point from the first nine on offer, led to many re-examining those early predictions. Athletic soon recovered, however - albeit temporarily - as they saw out August with back-to-back wins.

Bolton Wanderers 3-1 Wigan Athletic, November 7, 2014: Then came a run of one win in 12, culminating in this 3-1 reverse at fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers, which led to Rosler being shown the DW Stadium exit. Hopes had been high when the German took over 11 months beforehand, having achieved a stellar job at Brentford, but his stay in the North-West was not as fruitful.

Leeds United 0-2 Wigan Athletic, December 26, 2014: A real Christmas boost for Mackay, who at the sixth time of asking was finally off the mark with his first Wigan win. Things started positively enough with a well-earned 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, but the former Cardiff boss was under pressure right from the off due to the controversial circumstances which saw him employed in the first place. This was a timely victory on the road, but the Latics could not use it as a platform to push on, as was so often the case during 2014-15.

Reading 0-1 Wigan Athletic, February 17, 2015: A glimmer of hope at long last for Athletic, who came into this game knowing that time was fast running out. A dramatic period of 12 minutes added on at the end of the game did little to help the nerves, yet Mackay's side held on for the win which took them within six points of survival.

Wigan Athletic 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers, April 25, 2015: Away wins at Blackpool, Norwich City and perhaps most importantly of all, Rotherham United, were to follow over the next month to give the 2013 FA Cup winners a real shot in the arm. Wigan always appeared to be just out of reach of clawing back the deficit, however, and so it proved when another home defeat - a 1-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers - effectively confirmed their plight, with Rotherham's win against Reading later that week sealing their fate for good.

Best Player - James McClean

It may have been a season to forget for the Latics, but McClean is one of the few able to hold his head up high in terms of personal performances. Having scored six goals from midfield, combined with the same number of assists, it is perhaps unsurprising to see the Republic of Ireland international being linked with a move to the Premier League.

Newcastle United are among those said to be closely tracking the 26-year-old, who produced one of the standout displays of the campaign for his side by coming off the bench to score twice in October's impressive 2-1 victory over Derby County.

Most Improved Player - Martyn Waghorn

Barely given a chance at Wigan, but five goals in the final third of the season goes some way to highlighting that he can still find the net when called upon.

The 25-year-old had to make do with 17 substitute appearances across the duration of the campaign, yet even when thrown on for the final 20 minutes of games he was adding key goals, as well as chipping in with a couple of assists.

Best Signing - Emyr Huws

While there is hope that fellow high-profile captures Andy Delort and Oriol Riera will find the net more regularly at League One level, the signing of Huws last summer offers plenty of hope for the future. The Wales international only made 18 appearances for the Latics upon joining from Manchester City, but he showed during that time that he can be a key player in the third tier.

Injury problems curtailed his impact in the second half of the campaign, but with a run of games under his belt next term he could very well prove that the near £3m splashed out on him was worth every last penny.

Best Goal - James McClean vs. Birmingham City

Another bad afternoon for Athletic, yet it was McClean who stood out once more with this superb effort from the edge of the box. His side were 2-0 down at the time, but after picking up the ball out wide he managed to cut inside on his left foot and rifle the ball into the top corner.

Must Do Better - Tim Chow

Of course, many of those players who remain in place at the DW Stadium must up their game, but after being given a second chance Chow knows more than most that he is now under pressure to succeed.

Having initially been relieved of his duties by Mackay earlier this year, the 22-year-old was thrown a lifeline by Caldwell and he impressed immediately by scoring against Brighton in his side's first home win in more than seven months. The man who joined the club back in 2003 was offered a new contract earlier this month, and now has the chance to become a key component in midfield.

End-of-season grade: F

On a few occasions Wigan looked as though they were on the brink of pulling off what would have been a great escape, but in the end their dismal home form - the worst in the division - ensured that they will be playing League One football next season. Much like 12 months ago in many ways, hopes are again high that promotion can be secured, yet an equally slow start could cost Wigan under their inexperienced manager.