Heated half-time exchange secret to Wigan Athletic victory

Joe Garner celebrates his winning goal with Gavin Massey

Latics were perhaps fortunate to be level at the break after the visitors missed three decent opportunities.

And the home side were much improved in the second period, with Joe Garner heading home just before the hour mark to secure a third win on the bounce.

"I'm obviously very pleased with the result," acknowledged Sheridan.

"It was a really tough game, which we expected.

"They're a very good footballing side and they gave us some problems in the first half.

"We were probably lucky to go in level at the break, we were a little bit sloppy in the way we started the game.

"I felt we could have got up the pitch a little bit better, and that's what we asked them at half-time.

"In the second half I thought we were magnificent, the way we took the game to them.

"We created problems, we got in and around them and we played some excellent football.

"Joe scores a great goal, and I thought we were good value for the 1-0."

When asked what was behind the second-half improvement, Sheridan opted to make public the behind-closed-doors 'discussion'.

"There were some things said at half-time, between the players and the staff, and that's all part and parcel of it," he said.

"Sometimes when you're not playing well you've got to get a grip of each other, and sometimes things get said that people don't want to hear.

"But we're all in it together, the players and the staff, and there's a good mix in that dressing room.

"The players are responding to what we want from them, and full credit to them again for the way they responded in that second half.

"We were playing against a very good team scoring a lot of goals, so it was a good win for us."

Sheridan also hailed top scorer Garner, whose fifth goals in six matches was ultimately the difference.

"It was a good little passage of play. and a great little ball into the box.

"The thing with Joe, when he gets himself into the box, he's always got a chance of scoring.

"It's a great header, and we maybe should have had another straight after.

"It's the best chance of the game, Viv (Solomon-Otabor) could have made life a little bit easier for us, but it wasn't to be."