Wigan Athletic seal promotion to Championship as next Fleetwood manager Joey Barton watches on

Wigan Athletic celebrate their promotion to the second tier (Rex Features)

Wigan clinched promotion to the Championship with a convincing 4-0 victory over Fleetwood at Highbury. Fleetwood’s new head coach Joey Barton watched on from the stands as the side he will take over on 2 June were not strong enough against the Champions-elect, who steamrollered them in the second half.

And Paul Cook’s men did it all without star man Nick Powell as Shrewsbury’s draw with Bury ensured they could no longer be caught by Paul Hurst’s outfit with a 10-point cushion and just three games left to play.

Though in the first half it was not the stroll in the park the scoreline reflects as Fleetwood put up a fight with boss John Sheridan left to rue what could have been had one of Ash Hunter’s chances gone in.

Wigan got their opening goal in the 32nd minute as Max Power fired home as Fleetwood crumbled from therein with Gavin Massey pirouetting in the box before sliding the ball past Alex Cairns in the 36th minute to double the score.

Dan Burn calmly fired home in the 57th minute, while fellow centre-half Chey Dunkley, not wanting to be left out, added the gloss as he converted from close range in the 66th minute.

In the end it could have been more as Latics took advantage of Fleetwood’s new laid-back mentality in the first of Sheridan’s final three games before the new Barton era.

PA