Cook '˜delighted' to turn for home four clear

Paul Cook insists Wigan Athletic will not '˜take our eye off the ball' after completing the first half of the campaign with 52 points - four clear of Boxing Day opponents Shrewsbury.
Paul Cook wraps up on Boxing Day!Paul Cook wraps up on Boxing Day!
Paul Cook wraps up on Boxing Day!

Latics were held to a goalless draw by the Shrews despite Will Grigg and substitute Max Power hitting the bar in each half.

And although they remain on course for smashing the 100-point mark over the course of the campaign, Cook is in no danger of getting carried away.

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“There’s still a long way to go, I’ve learned that from my time in the game,” Cook urged.

People sometimes get too high very quickly, and too low very quickly.

“I’ll always try and stay grounded, and I’m delighted with where we are at the moment.

“No-one’s ever been promoted in December - although Manchester City are having a good go at winning the Premier League in December!

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“Shrewsbury are having an outstanding season, they’re not going away.

“You’ve also got Blackburn, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Charlton, Scunthorpe...there’s plenty of teams involved.

“If you take your eye off the ball you’ll find yourselves in trouble - and we’re determined not to do that.

“If we do slip now it certainly won’t be through complacency.”

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The scenes of jubilation in the away end and among the Shrewsbury players showed what the point meant to the second-placed visitors.

And Cook believes his side would have been good value to have avenged their defeat in the corresponding fixture in September.

“I thought we just shaded it I’m I’m being honest,” Cook acknowledged

“Shrewsbury didn’t trouble us in the game, although they did make it competitive.

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“We could have nicked it, we haven’t, and we move on and take the 0-0.

“I think anyone with any degree of football knowledge will have known today wasn’t going to be full of goals.

“You’ve got two very good teams who don’t give away many goals, so to come expecting a 3-3 or a 4-3 would have been very optimistic.

“We had a really good crowd in and we’re a touch disappointed not to have won it.”