BOLTON: Wigan manager Roberto Martinez hailed his team’s spirit after they battled back to snatch a 1-1 draw away at Bolton.
Although the Latics remain just one point off the bottom, Martinez believes the way his side fought back at the Reebok Stadium augurs well for the relegation dog-fight in the months ahead.
Bolton appeared to be cruising to victory after Rodrigo Moreno netted on 54 minutes to put Owen Coyle’s men ahead.
But Wigan – forced to shuffle their side after losing playmaker Tom Cleverley and goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to early injuries – refused to throw in the towel.
Their persistence paid off when Dutchman Ronnie Stam prodded home the equaliser in the 80th minute to claim his first goal for the club.
“We came here with four major injuries and a suspension, then we went 1-0 down and had the two injuries,” Martinez said.
“To lose Tom Cleverley, who has been a really inspirational player, and you are limited.
“But it’s about how you react. It’s all too easy to accept defeat and look to the next game. That wasn’t the attitude.
“We got the goal and the character that we showed was a platform that we need for the next 17 games,” Martinez said.
However Martinez was scathing of referee Phil Dowd’s decision to book Stam for his exuberant goal celebration.
“We are putting the players into such a demanding, stressful environment, with five games in 13 days,” said Martinez.
“We don’t need quantity, we need quality and we play too many games.
“You see Ronnie Stam giving his all and enjoying his celebration, so you need to show a bit of common-sense.”
Bolton boss Coyle meanwhile cursed his side’s failure to secure all three points.
“If you had offered Wigan a point beforehand I’d suggest they would have done handstands to get it,” he said. “We had chance upon chance, never took them, but we switched off and got punished.
“My disappointment is in the goal that we lost because it has cost us the three points.”
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