Gary Caldwell says Wigan Athletic 'will not take their foot off the gas' ahead of Mansfield Town clash
Wigan Athletic are in search of valuable points during this final stretch of League One fixtures and they will vie for as many as possible against Mansfield Town this weekend.
Gary Caldwell’s side head into Saturday’s meeting sitting 18th in the table, just three points above the danger zone. Latics will be looking to build on their latest win against Northampton Town but Stags are enjoying a strong unbeaten streak and will be eager to extend that beyond this weekend.
Mansfield Town are one game away from entering their strongest run so far this season. A win or draw against Wigan will mark nine games unbeaten, bettering their previous run of eight between December and February earlier this term. Stags have picked up 14 points from their last eight matches, taking them beyond the 50-point mark. However, Clough acknowledged earlier in the season that it would take more than 50 to guarantee Stags’ safety, given the level of competition in the bottom half of the table.
Caldwell has stressed that Latics do not plan to take their eye off the ball as they enter their final five games of the season. After hosting Mansfield Town at the Brick Community Stadium, they will face Rotherham, Port Vale and AFC Wimbledon, who are all with them in the bottom half of the table. Their final opponents are promotion-hopefuls Stevenage, who are fiercely competing for a place in the play-offs.
“I don't think you can ever breathe easily as a manager. I think the focus has to remain on the process, how we play as a team, and how we develop as a team. I keep saying the league table will take care of itself come the end of the season, and then we will assess what we've done as a club as a whole, and how we can take this forward beyond the summer,” Caldwell said in his pre-match press conference, via our sister website Wigan Today.
“At no point during that time will we take our foot off the gas, because we're always striving to get better, and to win games. But as much as it's about winning games, it's also about how we improve as a team, how we get used to playing together, in different ways. That will enable us to see where we can get better next season, to ensure we don't find ourselves in this position again.”
Wigan Athletic vs Mansfield Town will kick-off at 3pm on Saturday – preview the history between these two sides and Stags’ latest injury news here.