Source: PA
Martinez puts faith in Wigan character
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is confident his players have the character to cope with the pressure of finding themselves faced with another relegation battle.
The Latics have not been able to rectify inconsistencies in their results which caused them difficulties last season and once again find themselves in the bottom three.
A busy period over the next month will not decide their season but a healthy return of points would make things easier for Wigan going into the new year.
Martinez has, probably wisely, not set his squad a target haul from matches against Everton (on Saturday), Aston Villa, Wolves, Arsenal, Newcastle and Bolton.
But he is certain they have the mental strength to stand up to the pressure and pull away from the relegation zone, as they did towards the latter end of last season.
He said: "We have a huge advantage in that we are a young and talented group and we don't believe what the table is saying. We believe in our own ability and we believe in what we are capable of doing so we set our own targets. It is important we don't get too pessimistic because we are third from bottom with the same points as fourth from bottom (Fulham) but we should not get too optimistic if we are fifth from bottom. I don't see it as a pressure point at all, I see it as an opportunity to start getting rewards."
