Wigan Athletic boss challenges in-form ace - 'I need it again at Carlisle...and he knows that..."

The summer signing from Chelsea - who spent last season on loan at Exeter City - took time to settle into life in the north west.

But successive star man performances in defeat against Mansfield last week, and in Monday's draw at Blackpool - when he scored his first goal for Latics - proved why Maloney was so desperate to bring him to the club.

"I thought Dion was amazing against Mansfield, absolutely brilliant," enthused the Latics boss. "And it was the same again at Blackpool.

"He's really coming on, and I hope he feels the confidence that me and the staff have in him.

"I know what talent Dion has, and maybe he starts to believe in himself a bit more. Because when he is really aggressive and takes the game to the defenders, he can beat any full-back in this division.

"But I need it again at Carlisle (on Saturday), and then the next game...and he knows that."

Maloney's only frustration at Bloomfield Road was that Latics' dominant performance for the majority wasn't reflected in the scoreline.

And the manager's annoyance once again boiled over in the second half, when he picked up a fourth yellow card of the campaign – only days after serving a one-game ban for accruing three.

"I need to stop getting booked," he recognised. "Look, our players have been really good this year, they've really worked hard on their discipline.

"Last year we had real problems with that, but we've managed to sort that out. Maybe I need to take a leaf out of my players' books on that one."