Wigan Athletic: Callum Lang says it's important to make the most of pre-season ahead of an 'intense' Championship opener

The attacker has scored four times in the four friendly games so far this month, with Accrington Stanley up next for Leam Richardson’s side.

Lang states the Wigan squad have to make the most of the remaining pre-season fixtures ahead of their Championship opener against Preston on July 30.

He said: “It’s always important to get a good pre-season under your belt. It’s important to get those habits right and for the forward players to be scoring, to give you a bit of confidence going into the season.

“Defensively we want to be solid as well, so all round it’s about getting those habits right. Once we get that, I’m sure we’ll be okay.

“Growing up, pre-season has always been something where I have wanted to show what I can do going into the season, and then carrying it on throughout.

“The first game of the season will be a nice one with it being Preston at home. It’ll be a really intense game, so we know what we are in for.

“We know we need to be right at it, 100 percent, as we will be for every match in the Championship.

“Last season we were a new group, and we won the league, so we are coming off a real buzz and hopefully we can carry that forward.

“It makes it a bit easier having been together a bit longer, and knowing each other’s game.

“Since we’ve been put together we’ve been moving forward, so hopefully we will carry on doing that.”

Lang says he enjoyed being back at Boundary Park at the weekend, as he scored a header in Wigan’s 3-1 win over Oldham.

The 23-year-old had previously spent time on loan with the National League side, which he believes helped his career.

“Coming back (to Wigan) and playing is a massive part of what happened at Oldham,” he added.

“It gave me a good chance at playing every week in the league. I really enjoyed it and I’ve got a good connection with the fans.

“It’s good to see them moving back in the right direction.

“I really appreciate what they did for me because it sort of kick started my career.”