Martinez hails 'brave' Latics

15 August 2009 17:46
Roberto Martinez was full of praise for his Wigan Athletic charges as they began the new Premier League season with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa. In Martinez's first competitive game in charge of Wigan, following his summer arrival from Swansea, his side claimed success via goals from Hugo Rodallega and Jason Koumas. Martinez hailed his players after they put on an excellent display despite recent headlines being dominated by speculation over Lee Cattermole's future, which was resolved on Thursday when he joined Sunderland. The Spanish coach told Sky Sports: "It is a very good start. Any win in the Premier League is a difficult one. "It is down to the players. I was delighted to see the players take responsibility, considering the headlines about players leaving the club and negative press. "I was delighted to see them being brave away from home against a top club. "I think we grew in the game. We knew the first 10 or 15 minutes were going to be crucial. But we grew into it and thoroughly deserved the win. "Scoring the second goal was vital. I was pleased with the number of chances we created. We also defended well as a team." Martinez also reserved praise for Rodallega, who netted a brilliant strike on 31 minutes to set Wigan on their way. He said: "I think he has got great movement. He took a little bit of time to settle in last season. "Now he is desperate to be successful in the Premier League and is hungry to win games for Wigan. "That's fantastic news because when he is on song he is unstoppable." Asked if he planned to make any further signings, Martinez concluded: "Let us enjoy the first win and then we'll see."

Source: SKY_Sports