by Adam Stubbings

The end is nigh for Rovers after yet another miserable defeat, but at least it means there is almost nothing to lose as we welcome leaders Wigan to the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.

A 1-0 loss at Bury last week, our 12th in 14 matches, punctuated only by two home draws as this diabolical winless streak reaches a tally of 16, just about killed off any remaining modicum of optimism. Remarkably, of those 12 losses 75% have been by a single goal, but pouring over the stats now doesn't even begin to explain the long fall off an almighty cliff that has ruined the club's season.

The players haven't been good enough. They haven't shown enough guile, mental fortitude or physical ability to keep us in League One, and that is a sad state of affairs. The manager has failed time after time to find a way to turn things around, and now we face the all too real prospect of a season back in the basement.

So let us enjoy mixing it up with a talented football team at least once or twice more. Wigan Athletic come to South Yorkshire on a run that looks likely to take them to the title, giving the 2013 FA Cup winners an immediate return to the Championship.

This fixture should appear on thousands of betting accumulators this weekend, with the table-toppers currently on a remarkable 20 game unbeaten run that has seen them soar up the standings and usurp long-time leaders Burton for 1st place. They now sit four points clear and are potentially only two games away from promotion, the same number of games that Rovers sit precariously away from certain relegation.

But for those still holding on to that last smidgen of hope, know that Doncaster Rovers haven't lost to Wigan in almost 20 years. You have to go back to December 1996 for our last loss to the Latics, a 4-1 result that helped Wigan on their way to winning the Division Three title on goals scored, curiously pipping Fulham to the post despite having an inferior goal difference.

Granted there have been only five meetings since then, but the two most recent might give Rovers fans some cause for hope. We acquitted ourselves very well in a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture back in August, complete with some Sunday sun, and on the visitors' only previous trip to the Keepmoat Stadium, when they were the reigning FA Cup holders, we blew them away 3-0.

In light of this, maybe placing a bet on the most unlikely of Rovers wins here might not be such a bad idea. Much like the team itself at this point, what have you got to lose?