Latics guest player column: Yanic Wildschut

And what a fantastic win it was for us as a team.

We did it tough in the second half, especially near the end.

But after I was sent on to the field, I knew I had to score a goal or make a goal for the team.

Luckily I got the chance and I managed to take it, and to be able to share that feeling with the supporters behind the goal is what football is all about. In fact, it’s what you play football for.

It had been a while since I last scored, and I had missed some chances in the last few games.

For that reason I’m happy on a personal level, but obviously more importantly I’m delighted for the team that we’re now up to second in the table.

The feeling you get when you win in the last minute beats anything.

You see the joy on the faces of the players and the fans who got on the pitch, sums up everything about this club.

I have to say I was disappointed to be left out of the starting XI, because I didn’t really see it coming.

Nobody wants to sit on the bench, everybody wants to play from the start.

I came here to play and I have played a lot of football since I’ve been here.

For this game, the manager explained to me why I was started on the bench.

You don’t have to agree with it, because your natural response it to want to play, but you just have to do what is asked of you.

He told me that he was going to bring me on, and I was going to score the winner.

When I came on, he said to me: ‘You know what you have to do’. I told him I would try.

After the game he came over and said: ‘I told you!’

Hopefully it is the last time, though, because I don’t want to be on the bench any more!

Everybody wants to win promotion at the end of the season, and as a team we are determined to make that happen.

All we have to do now is keep winning games, and we might find ourselves with some early holidays!

It also makes it easier to go up automatically, without the need to go through the play-offs.

We finished in the play-offs last year with Middlesbrough and, even though we had been so good all season, you can see they are still in the Championship.

Automatic promotion saves you so much trouble, and I really think we have the team to do it.

Bring on next week! We play Bury on Saturday, and we haven’t beaten them in three games so far this season.

I think it’s about time we put that right, and we are more than capable of doing so.

I really couldn’t be happier with my decision to move to Wigan from Middlesbrough.

Right from the start, I liked the ideas and the vision this club has. They don’t just say they want to do things – they go out and do them.

The style of play and the way I was made to feel meant I felt at home right from the beginning. It also helped that I played some good games at the start and the fans were very appreciative of my efforts.

At Middlesbrough, I didn’t get as many chances as I felt I deserved.

Here it’s different – I’m involved in every game and I’m always looking forward to the next game.

I’m also proud to follow in a long line of Dutch players to play for this great club.

Most people in Holland look to the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool, rather than Wigan.

But the club’s profile is really growing - partly because of the FA Cup win, but also because of the number of Dutch players who have played here.

I remember (Mario) Melchiot, (Arjan) de Zeeuw coming here, and it gives you an extra interest.

I’d love for people to one day to say that about me - ‘Oh I remember Yanic when he played for Wigan’.

It would be great to be a part of that tradition.

Yanic Wildschut was speaking to Paul Kendrick