They were held to a goalless draw by Reading, denied the victory that would have ensured them Premier League survival.

Steve Bruce's side did have the chances to win, one of the best falling to Bent – who headed against the post in the seventh minute.

But a strong opening to the clash gave way to a slightly nervy display,
Latics having to settle for a point which edged them closer to safety – although not across the finishing line.

Bent said: "Everyone seemed a bit edgy out there.
Maybe if we had calmed down a bit and concentrated more on our game, we might have won it.

"But the important thing was that we didn't lose.
"We got a point which takes us closer to safety, away from the relegation zone.

"We started the game very well. The gaffer commented at half-time that the first 10 minutes were unbelievable.
"Then we got a bit nervy.

"I can only speak from my point of view here but I felt a little bit nervous out there.
"There was a lot at stake, now we are closer to getting clear of the
relegation places – although there is still some hard work to be done.

"We go to Aston Villa now, and although we can rely on other teams losing to get safe, the gaffer says it is about us getting the points we need."

Bent says he is a little surprised that Latics aren't safe yet, considering they're on a run of just two defeats in the last 10 games.
The striker said: "When we beat Birmingham three weeks ago, everyone felt that was it.

"But other results have been going against us, and sides below us have won games to keep themselves in contention.

"From my experience of being a footballer for a number of years, it does happen like that sometimes.
"Look at Birmingham versus Liverpool for example.

"Liverpool needed to come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, yet you would have expected them to roll Birmingham over considering where they are in the league.
"But they have different things to play for. They changed their team around, and that is their prerogative.

"Things like that make it difficult, but you have just got to accept it.
"All our concentration is on looking after ourselves. Staying in the Premier League is our side of the bargain.

"We now move on to play Aston Villa, and will go there with confidence.
"Villa have been on fire recently, scoring a lot of goals. So we know it will be a difficult one for us.

"It's their last home game of the season, so I'm sure they won't want to take their foot off the throttle in front of their fans.
"We'll have to stand up to them and play as well as we can."

Bent played on Saturday despite needing two
stitches in a leg wound suffered in last week's draw against Tottenham.

He lasted 64 minutes before giving way to Antoine Sibierski, and he insisted that the injury would not be a problem ahead of the visit to Villa Park.

Said Bent: "I only needed two stitches – although they're right on the muscle and are a bit sore.
"But they are not stopping me doing anything.
"And I will be fine for the weekend if I'm selected."