Martinez explains importance of unity and togetherness going into final third of season

Looking toward the final 12 games of the season, Roberto Martine stressed the importance of everyone associated with Wigan Athletic to pulling in the same direction and being united to make sure the club have a positive end to the campaign.

The atmosphere on Sunday was again a big positive to take from a frustrating afternoon, and the gaffer explained that it is that kind of attitude that will help the growth and progression of the entire club.

"In the second-half against Spurs we began by showing a clear reaction to the situation and looked as though we wanted to get back in it," said Martinez.

"The crowd played a massive part in that, they got behind us and made a lot of noise.

"Now is a difficult period we need to get through and it's important that we're all together as a football club.

"We need to learn from Sunday, get rid of that frustration and move on toward the Birmingham game. The key is to be united and to provide the support that allows our players to perform at their very best.

"We've all worked extremely hard since day one, we've changed many things and now have a clear philosophy on what we want

" Results aren't going our way lately, although we deserve more, and we need everyone pulling in the same direction to make sure the season ends well.

"The fans are the biggest section of this club, and it's a moment where we all need each other and once we get through it we'll be able to go onto the next level."



With Birmingham away next on the fixture list the gaffer is eager for his team to show the right reaction, as they have done on numerous occasions this season, against a team who'll be looking to get back on track themselves after defeat at the weekend.

He said: "What is important now is that we get a reaction right away against a Birmingham side who are going to provide tough opposition.

"They've had a tough result against Fulham at the weekend so they'll want to bounce back and I believe that will make this an open game and one we need to be ready for.

"Having taken the lead on many occasions, too often we've let it slip and it's cost us around 19 points.

"On the other hand it shows a good sign of us being able to break teams down and take the initiative. Now we need to be a bit stronger in maintaining those leads to make sure we get the points we deserve."