The applause came down in waves as the twenty-four players lined up facing the stands and, for a second, stood still.
The Wigan fans in the stands went on to sing the club anthem, and it was only after they were done that the players raised their hands to applaud them back.
After this, one of the staff came across the pitch toward Dawson and handed a microphone to the latter, who took it, looked at it briefly like he wasn't sure what to do with the thing, and then brought it to his mouth, smiling since it was the only thing he felt comfortable doing at the moment.
"Welcome to the Premier League, Latics."
The stands went again, harder than before, and Dawson let it run for a moment before raising a hand.
"Alright, alright," he said, and the crowd came down just enough to hear him.
"Two seasons ago, most of us were looking at the table and thinking we were going to end up right back where we didn't want to be. The English League One!
