Wigan Athletic boss calls for fanfare amid 'fortress' hope

The Scot will lead out Latics for the first time on home soil since returning as manager - eight years after leaving as a player.

His days with Latics mostly involved thrilling ends to the campaign, and this term also looks like it could go all the way down to the wire.

A bumper following of more than 2,700 cheered the side on to a creditable draw at Blackburn on Monday night.

And Maloney wants more of the same this weekend for what could be a pivotal day in the Championship drop zone.

"I'd love to have that sense of this place becoming a fortress again," he said, with a nod to his playing days.

"I know there's been some talk of the supporters coming to welcome the players to the stadium before the game on Saturday, and it's something that happened in the Premier League.

"It had a big impact on the group - knowing the fans were behind us, and also the flip side, it makes it a more uncomfortable place to come for the opposition.

"As players we never stopped fighting, I know the fans will do the same, and I hope they don't underestimate how important a role they have as well as the players.

"I've said it before but I must reiterate it, we're going to need the fans in every single game, and that includes Saturday.

"The support they've shown me already has been fantastic, and I don't take it for granted.

"At Blackburn it was a Monday night, people had taken the day off work, they'd left work early, they had work early the next day.

“I could hear them singing all through the game, and I really wanted to let them know at the end that I had heard them and I really did appreciate the support.

"And it's always a two-way thing, because it's important the players and the staff show the fans they're giving everything for the cause."

It's been a decade and a half since Latics had a comfortable end to a campaign with nothing riding on it at top or bottom.

"It's in adversity at the moment, but we've also had it the other way, when we've been chasing success," Maloney acknowledged.

"This season it's definitely in adversity we need them, but in future it's my job to make sure maybe we're chasing something different."

When asked if he had a message for the fans, Maloney replied: "I'm going to be relying very heavily on them, like we always relied very heavily on them in the past.

"They need to understand what a big difference they make in these moments when we need them the most.

"I want to thank the ones who have been there all season, and I just hope we can show them enough to bring even more people back to the club.

"I just want to give them a team that represents the town in the right way.

"A team that works incredibly hard, and a team that will fight all the way to the end.”