Gaffer hails a 'great achievement' as Latics claim 11^th spot

By Paul Chialton

"I'm absolutely delighted that we've managed to finish in 11^th place, it's a great achievement for a club like ours."

Those were the thoughts of Steve Bruce after a fine 1-0 victory over Portsmouth made sure Wigan finished the season on a high and just outside the top half of the table.

Latics eased aside their opponents in a pretty one-sided affair and gave the fans plenty to look forward to next season, and Bruce admitted that although the end result could have been even better, Wigan can be proudof how far they've come:

"It'll always rankle with me where we could have finished, but at the end of the day you're as good as your final position.

"When you look at the size of some of the clubs who have been relegated, it's fantastic that we have been able to finish so high up the table."

One of the afternoon's, and season's, big performers was Antonio Valencia, who terrorised Portsmouth for 90 minutes.

Bruce admitted it will be tough to try and keep hold of the Ecuadorian but has nothing but admiration for the winger:

"Antonio was magnificent today and I'll be devastated if he goes this summer.

"He deserves to play football at the very highest level and the number of clubs interested in him grows by the day.

"He's a great kid to work with. He's a fantastic athlete and a very humble player as well. "