Exeter City boss admits Wigan Athletic have done 'incredible' to handle adversity

But the former Latics captain and manager will be doing everything he can to throw a spanner in the works on his first return to the DW this weekend in opposition colours with Exeter.

Not least because the Grecians have a score to settle, with Latics having won twice on the south coast - in the league and the FA Cup - already this term.

"It will be a good experience," predicted Caldwell. "It's a club I spent a long time at, and where I have a lot of happy memories...a club where I still know the manager, the assistant manager, and other staff and people at the club really well.

"It will be nice to see everyone again, but ultimately you're going to win a game of football. Come 3pm on Saturday, we'll be doing everything we can to win a game of football."

Caldwell, of course, is a former colleague of Shaun Maloney with Celtic, Scotland and Hibernian as well as Wigan, while he also goes back a long way with Latics legend Graham Barrow.

"I spoke to Graham last night," he revealed. "And that was our kind of cut-off point...we won't be speaking again before the game, that will have to wait until after the game, and hopefully we can have a beer.

"It's going to be a nice day, my family are all coming to the game, and hopefully it will be a nice day - but one where we'll be looking to get another win."

Caldwell makes no secret of his admiration for the way his old club has handled all the adversity thrown at them over the last 12 months to consolidate in mid-table.

"It's not only the number of points they were deducted, but the kind of psychological toll that's had on them throughout the season," he said.

"Every time they win a game, it must feel like they're doing extra to get higher up the league.

"They obviously started the season at the bottom of the league, eight points behind everybody else, and had to look at that table every week and have to pick themselves up from there.

"What they've done is incredible...and to have done it with such a young team is even more incredible, because those young players have had to deal with that all season.

"They're very tough opponents, a team I think has evolved and developed in certain ways - tactically, and especially in possession - since we played them earlier in the season."

When asked what he had learned since his side's two defeats to Latics in October and November, he added: "Not to do that again!

"I actually think we played quite well in both games, and got nothing. So for everything we did right, we didn't do enough, and we have to find another way to attack them, or another way to stop them.

"We created a lot of shots against them across both games, but ultimately came away with zero goals, so we'll have to find something different to get a different result."