Gaffer wanting to finish home season on a high

Roberto Martinez insists that although Wigan Athletic's Premier League status is secured for yet another season, the attitude and hard-work put in by the players this week in training has again been of the highest standard.

Hull City are the final visitors of the season to the DW Stadium and the gaffer is hoping a party atmosphere on Monday afternoon will be the perfect celebration of the club's achievements over the past nine months, when the players take part in a lap of honour following the game;

"There's a great sense of achievement having reached our aim, but the standards at the training ground have still been very good," said Martinez.

"Normally you can see the tension and focus in the players as they try to secure Premier League status, but now you can certainly see the freedom in their play which is a good sign.

"Now we have two big games to go, one being the last home fixture of the season where we want to finish as strong as possible for our fans. We want a party atmosphere at the DW Stadium, and it has to be a celebration with everyone coming together.

"After that we'll prepare ourselves for Chelsea knowing the entire world will be watching Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge to see who is going to win the title, an occasion we need to be ready for.

"Every place in the table counts for something, and we want to finish as high up the table as possible. We mustn't lose focus now that we've reached our goal, it should give us a huge feeling of pride for the whole club, and we want to celebrate that.

"I'm expecting a very difficult game on Monday that will no doubt be very tight early on.

"Although Hull have a very slim chance of staying up they'll want to perform to a high standard and at least prepare themselves for next season.

"Individually their players have plenty to play for and that's just one of the factors that will make it a tough contest.

"We've seen already how difficult it can be when you face a team who are well organised and want to play for one another, and we need to be ready to challenge against that.

"Injury-wise Hendry Thomas has been progressing well but it looks as though Monday's game will come a little too early for him."

The gaffer also took the time to reflect on the club's season ticket renewal campaign which was launched this week, explaining how vital it is for Wigan Athletic to continue building upon its fan-base;

"It's important to understand that everything we do as a club is for our fans.

"They've played a massive role this season, especially during the times we've had to bounce-back from disappointment, and we want to create a big atmosphere in every home game we play.

"The bigger the fan-base we can attract the better and this campaign is an exciting one which will hopefully help us reach the next level as a football club."