Glenn Whelan provides update on his situation as Wigan Athletic interim manager

Substitute Luke Robinson's goal deep in the final third gave Latics a vital 1-0 victory which - added to the midweek draw at Mansfield, in Whelan's first game in temporary charge - opened up a 10-point buffer to the drop-zone.

And the Dubliner has opened up on the emotional rollercoaster of taking sole charge of a team for the first time on home soil.

"I did have a little bit of added excitement driving into the stadium," he said. "It's my first home game, you don't want to let the fans down, you're just hoping everything goes well.

"But the butterflies were back in the stomach for some reason...maybe because the real pressure is on the manager rather than the coaches on a matchday.

"So I had that, but I have some great people around me...Graham Barrow, Frankie Bunn, and young Browney coming in to help as well."

Inevitably, Whelan was asked for an update on his own situation, as the club continues to seek a full-time successor to Shaun Maloney.

"It's the same as far as I'm concerned, you guys probably know more than me," he replied. "Until told otherwise, I will continue to do what I've been doing.

"As I've said before, it's something I eventually want to do, like with most coaches who come into the game, you want to end up in the hotseat one day.

"For me, it's still about learning the day-to-day stuff, and trying to do whatever the club wants me to do, to the best of my ability.

"It's a great experience for myself, and the lads have been great over the last three or four days. They've just got on with it during what's been a very tough time, and hopefully we can keep that going."

Latics now have the rare luxury of a full week on the training ground in the lead-up to Saturday's trip to play-off chasing Charlton Athletic.

For Whelan, it's a chance to give some much-needed rest and recuperation to a squad that's been playing Satutrday-Tuesday-Saturday for most of 2025.

"We've given the lads Sunday and Monday off, but as a staff we'll probably be in on Monday to try to prep and prepare for next weekend," he said.

"It's important to allow the players to recharge their batteries, because the last few weeks have been very tough in terms of the amount of games. We've come through it, and hopefully things are beginning to look up a little bit."

Whelan was also asked about the pressure of making substitutions as a No.1...rather than being asked his opinion as a No.2.

"To be fair to Shaun, he always delegated the decision making around substitutions...he'd ask for all our opinions before making a change,” added Whelan.

"Whether he accepted it or decided another way, I like to think I did similar when it came to making the changes I did. Obviously there's a lot of experience between the four of us, but all you're trying to do is what's best for the team and you all want the same thing.