Source: Daily_Mail
Wigan will fight to stay in Premier League, says Roberto Martinez
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has vowed his team will 'give their lives' in their efforts to beat the drop after they pulled themselves out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone with Saturday's 3-1 win over Blackpool.[LNB]The Latics went ahead in just the third minute at Bloomfield Road when Hugo Rodallega slotted through Matt Gilks' legs, and Charles N'Zogbia made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time.[LNB]Mohamed Diame sent in a third for the visitors via a deflection off Neal Eardley midway through the second period, rendering DJ Campbell's late reply a mere consolation.[LNB] Up for it: Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is confident his side can now go on and secure survival after Saturday's win over Blackpool[LNB]The result meant Wigan, who had gone into the contest bottom of the table, leapfrogged their opponents into 17th place.[LNB]Martinez's side have five more fixtures to secure their safety and the Spaniard said: 'Before the game we had 18 points to play for and every point is extra significant.[LNB]'Now we have got 15 points to play for and I can guarantee you that we are going to give our lives to achieve our aim and carry on with the dream, which is Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.'[LNB]N'Zogbia, who has frequently been linked with a move away from Wigan, was particularly impressive and asked if the Frenchman was likely to still be at the club next season, Martinez said: 'It's impossible to tell right now.[LNB]'But what is quite clear is that Charlie is a player that everyone loves to watch, because he has got sensational raw talent.[LNB]'He is a huge asset as we all know and all I want is for Charlie to enjoy his football in every game that he plays.[LNB] Hard task: Martinez knows his side are not out of danger yet despite climbing off of the bottom[LNB]'For me it is a compliment when people say other clubs are attracted to our players - and it's not just one there, if you look at James McCarthy and Hugo Rodallega as well as Charles.[LNB]'They are very special players and all I want is for them to keep on developing and helping Wigan Athletic along the way.'[LNB]Newcastle failed in a late bid to re-sign N'Zogbia in January and Martinez praised his chairman Dave Whelan for making it possible for Wigan to keep hold of the player.[LNB]'We have to give credit to the chairman for that,' Martinez said.[LNB]'We said at the beginning of the season that we wanted to build something for the future and to do that you need to sign young players, because we are not in a position where we can compete financially with many other clubs.[LNB]'We did that by investing in young, talented players, but then it was important to keep the experienced players within that group - the likes of Rodallega, N'Zogbia and Maynor Figueroa. That was massive, and the chairman knows that.'[LNB]Having now won only once in their last 13 games, Blackpool have finally dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season and they contributed to their own downfall, giving away possession in the build-up to both of Wigan's first-half goals.[LNB]Seasiders defender Craig Cathcart sent a free-kick straight to N'Zogbia and slipped over as the winger's pass fed Rodallega for the Latics' opener.[LNB]The hosts then took a throw-in which was seized upon by Diame ahead of Charlie Adam and the ball again broke for N'Zogbia, who cut into the box to score the second.[LNB] Blackpool 1 Wigan 3: Tangerine dream turns into relegation nightmare as N'Zogbia shinesFastest, slowest, fittest! Exclusive survey reveals the speed merchants...All the latest Wigan news, features and opinion [LNB] Explore more:People: James McCarthy, Dave Whelan, Charlie Adam, Roberto Martinez Places: Newcastle
