Jason Kerr on his Wigan Athletic return - and the future

The big centre-back was Latics' hero in the 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient, netting with his very first touch after appearing off the bench in the final quarter.

Having recently returned to action after a serious knee injury - compounded by a broken foot at the end of his recovery - Kerr admits the day took on added significance.

"I worked so hard during my rehab process, it was a very long 15 months, with the fractured foot after I recovered from the knee injury," he said.

"It makes days like Saturday even more special, and makes all the hard work I did behind the scenes worth it.

"I feel I'm well over the injuries now, I'm feeling back to myself, back to where I was.

"The first couple of games, I did feel a bit sluggish, but I'm putting in performances on a similar level to before my injury.

"My challenge now is to play in as many games as possible between now and the end of the season.

"It feels like my season is only just getting going, and we're already into the last 10 games.

"I want to get as much out of the last nine games, help the team pick up as many points as possible, and end on a high.

"All you can do is go for it, aim for nine wins, and see where that takes us."

Kerr has extra motivation to end the campaign on a high, as he is one of several players out of contract this summer.

"There's not been any discussions of that nature so far, all of my focus has been on my football at the moment," added Kerr, who joined Latics from St Johnstone in 2021.

"I've not been back too long so it's been hard to look too far forward, other than to the next game and try to tick off another one.

"All I can do is keep putting in good performances, and maybe discussions like that will happen in their own time."