Players and management in awe of Wigan Athletic fans' effort

Just three of acknowledgement from the Wigan Athletic dressing room after the crowdfunder to save the club smashed through the £100,000 mark in just 24 hours.

It was a tale of disappointment on the pitch on Saturday, with Latics falling to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of promotion chasing Brentford.

But in the latter stages of the clash, confirmation came through that the supporters had reached their initial six-figure target.

News which quickly made its way to the dressing room.

"To raise that amount of money in the space of 24 hours is incredible," enthused centre-back Leon Balogun.

"You also have to put things into perspective.

"This is a football club, and we know we are good earners.

"So for the fans to have done this off their own backs is very touching.

"And it is another reason for us as players to keep at it and get back to how we've been playing in the last nine games.

"The reality is we are still in a very good position as players.

"We just need to focus on doing everything we can that is in our control.

"From everything I have seen and felt this week, the manager has given us the right speeches, and the confidence to play on.

"The fans can rest assured that everyone knows what this is about.

"We know a lot of teams in the league were probably happy and applauding themselves that Wigan is going down.

"But I am pretty sure they are wrong, because the spirit in this group is so high.

"One result is not going to knock us off track."

Manager Paul Cook echoed those sentiments.

"It's phenomenal, on behalf of all the staff and all the players we just thank them so much," he said.

"We've seen all the messages of support, we felt all the positive feelings that they have sent our way.

"As you can imagine, Saturday was a tough day for us...from travelling down, from everything else that's gone on.

"But in the midst of that we are aware of all the positive energy around the club.

"And the appreciation from the players and the staff to the fans is there in abundance.

"We know they will always be there for Wigan Athletic Football Club.

"And the message from me, and the players and the staff, is one of appreciation."

In response to the initial target being hit, the Supporters Club issued a statement emphasising the need to keep going - that this is just the start.

"Thousands of you have donated to the Let’s Hang On appeal to raise funds to support our football club," it read.

"We have been absolutely blown away by the support from the fans and friends of our club, and we want to say a HUGE thank you for helping to reach our first target of £100,000!

"We can confirm we are regular contact with the Wigan Athletic chief executive Jonathan Jackson, and he has confirmed that we will be working together with the administrators to make sure it is used in the best way possible to help us survive.

"We must keep going…the more we support our club and its staff and the better prospect our football club will be to a potential buyer.

"Our game on Wednesday against QPR is huge, and we will be announcing plans very soon to enable supporters to show their support from their homes.

"WE ARE WIGAN ATHLETIC, and we will not stop until:

* We raise sufficient funds to fulfil our remaining fixtures and secure our survival;

* The deplorable position we find ourselves in is fully investigated and, in the meantime, our points deduction is suspended;

* We find a suitable buyer for our club.

Thank you to every person who has donated, shared or spread the word about our appeal.

Further donations can be made here