Wigan Athletic: Five things we learned from Millwall (h)

1 Trust in the process! That was the post-match buzz-phrase from Leon Balogun, and it's what is underpinning Latics' survival bid at the moment. It would have been easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater around Christmas, with Paul Cook's side lurching from last-gasp defeat to last-gasp defeat, and the fans - understandably - voicing their displeasure. But Cook didn't panic, the board didn't panic and the players didn't panic. They trusted the process. And while Latics remain in the drop-zone, they are playing with a belief and a confidence of a side in the top half of the table. Since the turn of the year, they have picked up 14 points from their nine matches played, and lie sixth in the Championship's form table. If they can maintain that points-per-game average over the last 12 matches, they will go through the 50-point mark - and comfortably avoid the drop.

2 Pilkington's class! And not just because it's a great local pun! Latics just look a much better, threatening team with the former Premier League star in it. His cross-shot led to the winning own goal against Millwall, and his deflected shot that flew just wide was the closest Latics came to a goal of their own. The problem has only ever been keeping him fit for long enough. And while some questioned his substitution at the weekend with 15 minutes to go, it was clearly to protect him from a fatigue-related injury that could have ruled him out of important games to come. If Latics can get 75 minutes out of Pilkington for the majority of the 12 remaining games, they will gladly take that. Because that's more than enough time for him to work his magic and provide a cutting edge that isn't there when he's absent.

3 The luck's turned. While no-one would suggest the win over Millwall was 'lucky', the footballing Gods were certainly looking down favourably on Paul Cook's men in a way they haven't for most of the campaign. Nathan Byrne's first-half foul on Ryan Woods was unquestionably inside the area, only for referee Jeremy Simpson to award a free-kick inches outside. Then, at the beginning of the second period, David Marshall dropped a routine cross at the feet of Tom Bradshaw, who inexplicably fired wide of an unguarded net from six yards. There was also an element of fortune about the winning goal, with a member of the opposition netting a crucial goal for the second home game in a row. We've had to wait long enough but - on the back of Cardiff's stoppage-time 'winning' goal being controversially disallowed last weekend - maybe the luck indeed does even itself out over the course of the season...

4 Not again... It's been an eventful season to say the least for Chey Dunkley - still Latics' leading scorer with six goals. Having been one of the first names on the team sheet in the first half of the campaign, his sending-off at Luton led to Kal Naismith's reinvention as a centre-back. Then, after biding his time and waiting for his opportunity, Dunkley's unfortunate red card against Middlesbrough opened the door for Leon Balogun to stake a claim for inclusion. The on-loan Brighton man has struck up an immediate partnership with Cedric Kipre that underpinned Saturday's win over Millwall and, on this evidence, they could be set for a long run in the side. Dunkley remains, literally, a massive figure in the dressing room, and his private disappointment at being out of the side will come a distant second to his support for the collective.

5 Out of sight... but definitely not out of mind! Paul Cook may have been absent from the technical area, thanks to a one-game touchline ban following the recent controversial draw with Middlesbrough, but he certainly made his presence felt to those pitchside. Despite being high up on the gantry, Cook was bellowing 'PRESS' throughout the game (instructions for his players to push the opposition, I hope, rather than abuse directed at the media below). And one second-half shout of 'LLLLLEEEEEAAAAAMMMMM' to attract the attention of his No.2 Leam Richardson could surely have been heard at their former club, Portsmouth.