Barrow: '˜I've taken a leaf out of Roberto's book'

Nothing less than three points will keep alive the slim chance of Latics avoiding the drop into League One.

And the players have spent part of this week watching footage of the ‘Great Escapes’ of the past for added inspiration.

“The lads feel a huge responsibility, and we’ve done a few things this week,” revealed Barrow.

“We’ve looked at clips of Great Escapes at the training ground – not just ours but other clubs.

“And it’s amazing how regular it has been done over the years.

“This one would certainly be on a par with Stoke in particular (under Roberto Martinez) in 2011.

“That one always lives with me.

“There was one year (2012) when we made it look quite easy – we beat Manchester United and Liverpool – although it didn’t seem easy at the time.

“This one would be up there, but we have a lot of work to do before then.”

Latics are also relying on relegation rivals Birmingham and Blackburn to slip up in their last two matches, and Barrow can’t hide his frustration it’s come to this.

“I really believe we’ve got enough – there’s no way we should be getting relegated, if I’m being brutally honest,” he said.

“We are in this position, though, and we have to do what we can to take it to next week.

“If I was a betting man – which I’m not because of the rules – I’d be confident of us keeping it going.

“I’ve tried to take a leaf out of Roberto’s book and not go on about it too much, in terms of the importance.

“But the lads are all looking forward to the game, and what it might bring.”