Ben Watson scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final for Wigan in 2013 but with his contract up at the end of the season he has decided to explore his options down south with Watford.

Wigan managed to pull a goal back after falling behind twenty minutes in, but it was Watford who had the last laugh netting their second in the 82nd minute to grab the three points on Saturday.

The Latics suffered yet another loss on Saturday at home to Norwich City, who saw the struggling club off in the first five minutes to come away with a 1-0 win that left Wigan three points from safety.

The Scotsman, who is going into his third game in charge of the Latics, made over 200 appearances for Norwich City between 1998 and 2004.

Malky Mackay’s side lost 2-1 at Hillsborough where Sheffield Wednesday ended their 11-game winless streak while Wigan are now without a victory since the end of October.

Despite being stuck in the Championship relegation zone, Wigan managed to draw against third-placed Middlesbrough last week and they will travel to south Yorkshire with a similar plan in mind.

The Latics drew 1-1 against high-flying Middlesbrough with a phenomenal free-kick from Shaun Maloney that showed the controversy of the week had clearly not put them off their game.

The embers of controversy that began with the hiring of Malky Mackay, whose racially-insensitive texts landed him in hot water earlier in the season, were stoked into a blaze by apparent racial slurs made by Wigan owner Dave Whelan.

Wigan’s 77-year-old chairman feels hard done by and has accused a Guardian journalist of misunderstanding him despite apologising profusely for any upset he may have caused.

The former Cardiff City manager, appointed Wigan manager on Wednesday, is currently under investigation by the FA after allegedly sending racist, sexist and homophobic texts during his time in Wales.

Mackay was reported to have sent racist, sexist and homophobic texts while in his old post at Cardiff, but Wigan chairman Dave Whelan is convinced he is the right man for the job.