Wigan Athletic have eye on the Tigers, says Michael Jacobs

Latics used their fortnight ‘off’ to get back to basics, putting as much emphasis on bringing the squad together off the field as working outside on the grass.

And as they prepare for Saturday’s tough trip to Hull, Jacobs hopes the hard work done behind the scenes will start to bear fruit.

“The international breaks come very quickly in this division, every five or six games at the moment,” he told the Wigan Post.

“But it’s also a good opportunity to spend some time on the training pitch and try and focus on getting back to winning ways.

“Especially with the new lads coming in, it’s been good to get to work with them a bit more, just small details but those which could make a big difference down the line.

“I think it’s been a very positive fortnight for us, and there’s a lot of stuff we can take from it into the Hull game and beyond.”

The fifth-from-bottom Tigers are just one point and two places above Latics.

But Jacobs doesn’t feel that puts extra significance on Saturday’s encounter.

“There’s no easy games in this division,” he acknowledged. “It doesn’t matter if the opposition are struggling or flying.

“Every single game is against a good side with good players, and we’re expecting nothing less against Hull.”

Latics are hoping to pick up where they left off, after stopping the rot caused by five defeats on the spin with the goalless draw against Barnsley – which was their first clean sheet of the campaign.

“It was massive to pick something up against Barnsley before we signed off,” added Jacobs.

“The clean sheet especially was important, because we’d been conceding too many goals as a group.

“We had to grind out the result but it’s something to build on and get confidence from.

“It’s important to go into games with as positive a mindset as possible.

“And obviously it would be nice to pick something up away from home.”