The FA Cup arrived quickly, giving Wigan their first competitive fixture since the turn of the new year.
With a week having passed since their victory over Chelsea, the Latics were back on the road, this time for a relatively short journey to the home of League One Bolton Wanderers.
For Bolton, the visit of a Premier League side sitting near the top of the table was an occasion worth making noise about.
Their supporters filled the stands well before kick-off, waving scarves and singing as the teams emerged from the tunnel.
Wigan's travelling support had been allocated a corner of the ground, where the fans gathered behind their goal, making themselves heard whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Dawson had made several changes to his starting eleven, giving a number of players who had spent recent weeks on the bench an opportunity to impress.
Tom Watson, one of the club's academy goalkeepers, started between the posts, while Ashley Fletcher led the attack.
