Wigan boss Roberto Martinez praised the way his players coped with the pressure of their relegation battle with Wolves as they came away from Molineux with a precious 2-1 victory.
The Latics moved out of the Barclays Premier League drop zone and up to 16th thanks to first-half strikes from Hugo Rodallega and Tom Cleverley, substitute Steven Fletcher prodding in a late reply for Wanderers that proved nothing more than a consolation.
"It was a very difficult game in terms of coming to Molineux with a lot to lose," Martinez said. "We could have finished bottom of the league and that could have been on the players' minds and affected their performance - we are very young. But I felt that the maturity in the performance was fantastic and it showed how far we have come in the first half of the season."
He added: "When you see other teams playing in front of you, it puts that extra bit of pressure on.
"Looking at the first half of the season, we have been a lot more consistent than last season, but we haven't been able to get the results that the performances sometimes deserve.
"That is something we have to change, and here it was probably the worst possible test in that respect because mentally, we had to be ready.
"We had many players missing - a couple of suspensions and a few injuries. It would have been all too easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves, but it wasn't the case."
Martinez's opposite number Mick McCarthy played down the idea that knowing West Ham had earlier won 3-1 at Fulham may have been a factor in Wolves' defeat.
"It wasn't for me, although I can't speak for individuals," McCarthy said.
"I think it is the goals we have conceded which determines the performance, not what has gone on before."
Source: PA
