Sunday 9 November 2014 19:48, UK
Wigan's trip to Bolton this Friday night might lack the intensity of an Old Firm affair, but ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon expects his Wanderers players to embrace their own derby clash.
Lennon is well versed in one of the most bitter rivalries in world football from his time in Glasgow having spent more than a decade as a player, coach and manager at Parkhead.
Two of the three red cards he earned as a Celtic player came against Rangers and his dugout spat with the Gers' then assistant Ally McCoist resulted in a four-match touchline ban in 2011.
Such high tensions are unlikely to be piqued when Uwe Rosler's Latics arrive at the Macron Stadium for a meeting between two Sky Bet Championship strugglers, but Lennon admits he may use his personal experiences of the Old Firm to stoke the fire.
"It is very different but the premise is the same, we'll maybe pass on a little bit of that," said Lennon, whose side turned over Cardiff in a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night.
"I don't know if many of the players have played in this type of game before, I'm sure the majority have so they'll know what to expect.
"I've got players who are pretty experienced at this level but it's a game they should be really looking forward to, especially having played so well on Tuesday, they should be looking forward to getting back out there and repeating that.
"It's Friday night, under the lights, against local rivals and there should be a really good crowd in there; it's what they want to play for."
The added incentive for Bolton is the chance to move out of the bottom three for the first time since Lennon arrived, while three points would also see them leapfrog an out-of-sorts Wigan.
Crazy
However, Bolton's manager is not taking anything for granted given the crazy results the division churns out on a weekly basis.
"I don't want to go two steps forward, one step back but it's just the nature of this division, it's a monster - the most unpredictable league in Europe," added Lennon.
"If you were a betting man you'd be poor by now with the results that go on in the Championship. You can never read it and we just have to maintain a level of calmness about our players going into this game on Friday night."
Parallels can be drawn between Bolton and Wigan, with both having suffered from a top-flight hangover following their respective relegations in 2012 and 2013.
Lennon attended the Latics' 3-3 draw with Fulham last Saturday and admits he is at a loss to explain why, after last year's surge into the play-offs under Rosler, they currently reside just one point above the relegation zone.
Rosler is not concerned by his team's performances, though, and is anticipating a fiery clash for a meeting between two clubs separated by just 10 miles.
Speaking after Tuesday's defeat at Brighton, he said of Friday's fixture: "That will be a different game.
"Against Bolton I expect more of a physical fight, more of a physical battle. We just need to score the goals that our performances deserve."
