Wigan Athletic: Five things we learned from Birmingham (a)

1 It can be done! After many, many false dawns, Latics finally managed to avoid pressing the self-destruct button and came away with their just rewards. Not only did they break a 13-game winless sequence, they also smashed an away-day hoodoo stretching back all the way to Good Friday. In fairness, they've played far better on several occasions of late and not come away with the spoils. Which possibly makes this one all the sweeter.

2 Wind of change. It's fair to say Josh Windass has polarised opinions among the Latics fans since his arrival in the summer of 2018. But his performance at Birmingham showed exactly why the club splashed out £2.5million to bring him back to England from Rangers. His detractors would probably point out there haven't been enough of these performances during his time at the DW. But when Windass is on his game, he can do some serious damage at this level. He's set the standard now - and it's up to him to meet it on a more consistent basis.

3 Kip, Kip Hurrah! This time last month, Cedric Kipre was probably fourth in the pecking order of specialist Latics centre-backs. But after six superb showings on the spin - with Latics losing only once, unfortunately at Nottingham, Forest - he's the undisputed No.1. Especially with Kal Naismith now out injured. Having cut out some of the unforced errors and lapses in concentration that blighted his first season with Latics, Kipre's stepped up this term and looks every inch a Championship centre-back.

4 Spirit in the camp. Having not won since October 20, you'd be tempted to think confidence, belief and team spirit might have taken a bit of a battering. But one look at the joyous celebrations that greeted all three goals - and again at full-time - underlined the togetherness that has remained in the Latics camp even during the darkest of days. They've been knocked down so many times this season, but they've managed to get up again. And that is a quality that should not be downplayed.

5 Credit where it's due. As anyone connected with Latics will know, it hasn't been the easiest few months on and off the pitch. The strain has certainly taken its toll on boss Paul Cook, who's cut an increasingly forlorn figure in the technical area, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Despite an incredible series of kicks-to-the-gut, Cook never lost his faith that his side would turn things around. And no wonder he was quick to thank Darren Royle, Joe Royle and Jonathan Jackson for giving him the time to do so, because it's a commodity not always to be found in the modern game. The corner's not been completely turned yet, but they've taken the all-important first step of, we hope, many.