Watson calls for focus

23 March 2009 19:56
Ben Watson insists Wigan will not be getting carried away by talk of possible European qualification.[LNB] The Latics remain in the hunt for a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League, with that likely to be enough to see a Europa League spot for next term.[LNB]Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City will also have eyes on continental competition, but it is Wigan that lead the race for now.[LNB]Watson admits exciting times appear to lie ahead at the JJB Stadium, but knows there is still much work to be done before anyone can start celebrating.[LNB]"The club is in a fantastic position seventh in the league with eight games to go, you can't ask for much more than that," he said.[LNB]"But we are not thinking of Europe, it has not been mentioned. The main thing was to stay in the league and now we take it one game at a time.[LNB]Tough"The last two games (victories against Sunderland and Hull) were massive. We thought if we could get maximum points out of them it would put a gap between us and the relegation zone and that is what we have done.[LNB]"Our next two games are Everton and Arsenal. No disrespect to Sunderland or Hull but it is going to be tougher to get points off them."[LNB]Wigan boss Steve Bruce is delighted to be in the European hunt and believes his side are capable of maintaining their current standing.[LNB]"To even be there (in seventh) with eight games to go is terrific," he said.[LNB]"The players have a bit of a buzz about them. It means something to them to be seventh.[LNB]Possible"It is absolutely possible and my job is to make sure they are focused.[LNB]"We have a few of the bottom teams (they also have to go to Blackburn and host Bolton) to play, although we also have Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United.[LNB]"The other five are teams who are going to be tough but are in and around the bottom half of the table."[LNB]Bruce has also confirmed that Charles N'Zogbia is set to undergo further tests on a knee injury he sustained against Hull City on Sunday.[LNB]"We're obviously worried about Charles - his exit at half-time affected our style of play," he added.[LNB]"The lad got an impact blow on his knee. He'll have scans and X-rays in the next 24 or 48 hours once everything has settled down."[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports