Larkin and I enjoy our first full day in Manchester and Wigan.  Immediately upon arrival in Manchester yesterday, we dropped our bags at the hotel and hustled off to our match in the lovely small town of Wigan.  The place is undisturbed as far as NOT being a tourist mecca, but is an easy train trip from Manchester.  Arrival at Wigan gave us a large selection of local dining and pub options, including a few stores selling famous Wigan pies of all varieties  (think chicken pot pie in your grocer’s freezer section, only fresh).  Our match was at DW Stadium, where Wigan hosted Fulham to a 2-1 loss for the home team.  The absolute highlight of our day was meeting up with Dallas Cup academy lad from Wigan, Alan Bennett at a wonderful pub called Moon Under Water.  He had just returned from officiating a match in Blackpool and was still wearing his travel suit with FA pin on his lapel.  We had a great time catching up on things since his visit last spring.  He’s planning a remarkable wedding March 23rd, it will be held at DW Stadium with part of the reception photo shoot at midfield!  Remarkable.  His fiance Charlotte is planning a unique wedding event that would be a blast to watch!