Source: PA
Experience pays off for Latics
Roberto Martinez believes the growing maturity of his Wigan side helped them close out victory in their topsy-turvy encounter with Blackburn.
The Latics went behind early on at a rain-soaked DW Stadium but battled back to lead 4-2 and held on to claim their first Barclays Premier League win in nine attempts despite an 81st-minute penalty from David Dunn making it 4-3.
Twice in that poor run, against Fulham last month and West Brom on Tuesday, Wigan were in winning positions heading into the final moments of games only to concede equalisers, and Martinez believes that made his team stronger.
He said: "Probably that's the most pleasing aspect. Time after time this season you've seen we can play well, we can open teams up quite easily, we can create chances. But against Fulham we lost two points in the 85th minute, against West Brom similar, and we couldn't be mature enough to see results through. This was the opposite.
"You couldn't find a more physical test. At the end they (Blackburn) played the conditions really well. They put as many bodies as they could in the last third and they were hoping for something. The concentration levels, the physicality that we showed, the good intensity, it was extremely pleasing.
"And the way we closed the game out, it was probably the good work the players have been doing trying to learn from the painful lessons we've had in the past that made the difference."
