Wigan Athletic caretaker boss Glenn Whelan proud of his side after hard-earned draw at Mansfield Town

Whelan was thrown into the role yesterday after the club sacked Shaun Maloney – and with Stags on an 11-game run without win, he knew how hard it would be.

“Coming to Mansfield, who are fighting for their lives, we knew it would be a tough game and a tough crowd,” he said.

“So a point away from home and a clean sheet is something to build on over the coming days.

“Mansfield have a manager with loads of experience and they are under the gun a little bit and desperate for a win. So we knew they would come for us for the first 15-20 minutes.

“But we held our own and with a bit more confidence we might have put a bit more pressure on their keeper and their goal.

“It has been a difficult week so I'm really proud of the lads and what they've given us tonight.

“We tweaked a few things tonight and with a bit more confidence in the final third we could have created a few more chances.

“But defensively we put bodies on the line and Sam (Tickle) finished with a clean sheet so we are really proud of them.”

On taking chrage at short notice, he added: “It has been a crazy 24 hours. I have a lot of respect for the manager and it's never nice when someone loses their job.

“But that is football. Shaun would be proud of the lads tonight as he is a Wigan man at heart.

“But we have to dust ourselves down now and try to get a tune out of the lads.

“A lot of these players are here because of Shaun and I am sure some are upset with what has gone on and think they played some part in it.

“Being brand new to coaching and being thrown into this role is not something I really wanted as I am only here at Wigan because of Shaun, but I am relishing it.”