Graeme Shinnie on his Wigan Athletic debut win

New-boy Graeme Shinnie says he's relishing the challenge of 'getting in the thick of' a promotion push at Wigan Athletic after marking his debut with a win.
Graeme ShinnieGraeme Shinnie
Graeme Shinnie

The former Scotland international midfielder started for the first time for Latics in the 3-2 victory over Gillingham, a week after joining from Championship strugglers Derby.

And although he admits he was struggling towards the end, he showed more than enough to underline why Leam Richardson was so desperate to being him in mid-season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I haven’t played since the start of December so the last 10-15 minutes was about grinding it out and getting through it," said Shinnie, who was an unused substitute at Morecambe in midweek.

“I’ve enjoyed settling into the team. They are a phenomenal bunch of boys and it’s an easy dressing room to come into and settle into.

"They’ve taken me in and the staff have also been brilliant.

“It’s the January window so there’s no time to let me settle in.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"You’ve got to just get in the thick of it and get into the games.

"It was nice to go to the Morecambe game and get a feel for it and prepare for today."

It was a real game of two halves at the DW, with Latics dominating the opening period and deservedly leading through Will Keane and Stephen Humphrys.

However, goals from Ben Reeves and Stuart O'Keefe restored parity by the 70-minute mark, before Keane's 15th goal of the season secured all three points.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We were really good in the first half and, in the second half, we could have been a lot better and put the game to bed," added Shinnie.

"But in these leagues with what we want to achieve, you have to dig wins out and this shows great character."

Get 20% off our sports subscription package and stay up to date with all the latest Wigan Athletic news with a year’s subscription to WiganToday for less than 9p a day. Use promo code TRANSFER20