Wigan Athletic chief acknowledges 'burden' he's been under - 'It is hard'
Ryan Lowe admits Wigan Athletic's wait for an away win - which ended at the weekend - has been a 'burden' for him and his coaching staff.
The 2-1 victory at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday was Latics' first on the road since Easter - and only the second since Lowe took charge back in March.
After so many hard-luck stories and near-misses along the way, Harrison Bettoni's brace off the bench means one question less for the manager to field after away matches!
"It has been a burden for us, a monkey on our back," said the head coach. "But we should have won so many times already, we've just had a lot of bad luck on the road this season.
"Maybe we got that little bit of luck that we've been due at Wimbledon, and came away with three points against a good team that very rarely gets beaten at home.
"It's such a big win for us, because it's our first win away from home. And I dedicate it to our travelling fans.
"There were almost 1,000 of them here again, and they've continued to back us in their numbers, doing the hard yards.
"We've had Exeter, Plymouth, and now Wimbledon in recent weeks, and it is hard. Hopefully we'll have sent them home happy after this one."
Rather than dreading the prospect of a long trip to London - where Latics had won only four times since the FA Cup final in 2013 - Lowe says the group travelled down full of confidence and belief.
"You know what, I felt it very early on in the week, that something like this was coming," he added.
"My team is normally nailed down as early as Thursday, but the amount of players who have given me a headache as the week's gone on...
"Not just Harrison...Ollie Cooper, Carra, Mulls have all made me think...and I've had to leave Sess and Robbo out of the squad.
"I didn't want to do that, but you can only name seven subs and they're all champing at the bit to play.
"My message to the group before we travelled down on Friday was every single position has players breathing down the neck of other players for an opportunity.
"So 'come on'! Let's stay grounded, let's keep working hard, let's keep doing the things we're asking them to do, and it's on them whether they stay in the team.
"I can only pick players who are performing, and I have felt that win was coming, honestly I have.
"I felt it going into the Exeter game, and I was so disappointed after that, because that was a win we should have chalked off.
"That's now six games unbeaten, and I know we've only got two wins in that run, but now we've got two home games coming up and a chance to build on that."
Latics are now five points clear of the League One drop zone, with Lowe’s men now only six points adrift of sixth-placed Stevenage – who visit the Brick Community Stadium on Saturday.