Back to where it all started for Wigan Athletic star

With Latics having been in freefall since October 2018, they dropped into the bottom three for the first time in the campaign when Leeds went ahead early on.

But a remarkable backs-to-the-wall effort – with 10 men – resulted in Gavin Massey scoring a brilliant brace, to beat a side closing in on promotion to the Premier League.

And Naismith wants Latics to use this weekend’s trip to Elland Road as a similar line in the sand.

“That was some day that, at Leeds last year,” Naismith told the Wigan Observer.

“You look at the away form going in, the way Leeds were flying, to go down to 10 men so early, and then go a goal behind...everything happened to us that day.

“And for us to come away with the win, it was a special day for us all.

“It felt like a real turning point in the season – it felt like the team, the fans, the club all came together in that moment.

“We always knew we could do it, the spirit in the dressing room was always great.

“But we just weren’t getting the rewards we felt we deserved for all the hard work we were putting in.

“The Leeds game was when it all came together, and we all grew from there.

“Hopefully it’ll be the same again this weekend, and we can get another result that helps us to get where we want to be.”

That game was also a hugely significant game for Naismith on a personal level.

After Cedric Kipre’s controversial early red card for a handball that never was, Naismith was thrust into life as an emergency centre-back.

And his versatility has been such he is arguably now the first choice at the heart of the defence.

“That would have been the first time I’d played centre-back in a senior game,” he acknowledged.

“I’d filled in there during training or in junior matches, but that was the first time in a competitive game.

“To do it at Leeds, in such a big game, was a challenge, but you just get into the mindset of not letting the ball get into your net.

“It was basically wave after wave of attack from them, and we were just having to remain as focused as we could to keep them out.”

The day was one of only two away wins all season – a figure Latics would match if they repeated the victory this weekend.

“It was especially nice for the away fans, who’d supported us all over the country all year and hadn’t had much to shout about,” Naismith added.

“They were so loud that day, even though there were so many Leeds fans, and it spurred us on to great heights.

“For us to have rewarded them with the result, we just wanted to stay out there on the pitch with them to celebrate.

“It was a ‘thank you’ from us for sticking with us for so long, and it would be nice to do that again this weekend.

“Games like this are the best, they’re why you play the game.

"The biggest crowds, the most hostile atmospheres, that’s what you want to experience as a player.”