Wigan Athletic chief makes surprise selection admission ahead of Cambridge United trip

The Latics boss made five changes to his starting XI for the Good Friday draw against struggling Burton.

He admitted he 'didn't like' the first three-quarters of the encounter, although acknowledged the five substitutes he sent on all made a difference.

Ahead of another fixture against a relegation-threatened side, Maloney again called for the 'mentality' of the side to be right from the off.

"I know we've reached the 50-point mark, and I thought we drifted through most of the game against Burton," said Maloney.

"If our mentality isn't right for the last six gamers, then it's going to be very difficult.

"Picking a team for Monday is going to be really simple now.

"I might not pick the most talented player in that position, but it's going to be the player I feel will bring the right intensity and the right mindset.

"It's as simple as that."

Although Latics have achieved their seasonal goal of securing their League One status, Maloney rejects the notion any of the focus has already turned to next term.

When asked whether his out-of-contract - and loan - players are still playing for their futures, Maloney replied: "Every player is playing for their future...and it's the same for the staff and myself.

"Every game is such a big game, because it's the next game, and you're continually being judged on your results.

"When you don't, that's when it becomes very difficult...and that's why I never put it on the players...I never say 'the players were poor'...it's us, as a group.

"Did I get everything right? Did I get the team selection right? These are all things to consider."

That said, Latics would still have been travelling to Cambridge on the back of a win, had Thelo Aasgaard not seen a late ‘goal’ chalked off on a Burton defender for an alleged foul

“In this instance, I think the referee probably got that wrong,” added Maloney. “I’ve seen it back and I didn’t see anything too different to corners in our box.

“Whenever they got that right or wrong, in this instance, it doesn’t cloud my judgment and we were fortunate not to lose the game.”