Wigan Athletic: Leam Richardson wants his side to build on their early performances in the Championship

His side travel to St Andrew’s on Saturday afternoon, on the back of three back-to-back draws at the start of the Championship season.

Richardson states it’s important to build on their results from the early weeks of the campaign.

He said: “We are acclimatising to the level, and I’m pleased performance wise but you still always crave for more no matter what happens. It’s about building those small steps and the main focus is to be competitive in every game, and I think we’ve been that so far.

“We’ve got the same team as we had in League One, and the lads have risen to the challenge because the task is quite heavy in the Championship.

“You’ve got to be very diligent in what you do and approach every game on its merit.

“We’ve got a few draws but certainly could’ve had a few wins as well.

“It’s about building on these performances and the foundation we’ve got from last year, because we are still in our infancy as a group. We are always trying to be better and striving to input those small details around the pitch to be a stronger unit.

“We are expecting more of the same from Birmingham. It will be a challenge because they are very structured and have some fantastic players, who have Championship experience.

“They are a fantastic football club with some real backing behind it. It’s something we are looking forward to and will approach in a positive manner. Fingers crossed we will fall on the right side of the result.

“Our away following will be big for us. It’s going to be just as important as it was last year.

“Taking a full allocation gives us an advantage to reach our energy levels on the pitch, long may that continue.”

Richardson says Wigan have made the most of not being in action midweek, after the game away to Coventry postponed due to the condition of the pitch.

Despite having the opportunity to bed-in new additions Nathan Broadhead and Ashley Fletcher, the Latics manager was still disappointed not to be playing.

“It was a bit frustrating because you want to play when everyone has got a full fixture, but it gives us an opportunity to go through a few fundamental habits,” he added.

“We’ve had a clear week to put some principles into place, strengthening the decision making and thought process for some of the lads.

“We are building on from last year, with a few new faces in the building, so it does speed that process up because when we play Saturday and Tuesday the games can take over.

“The new lads have settled in really well, but it’s nothing we didn’t know because they are fantastic people going into the dressing room.

“It’s important that we remain mindful of the training they’ve done and the condition they are in before coming to us, with our intensity.

“We need to work hard with our medical team and sports scientists to make sure they are ready, so they can give the outputs that both myself and the team demands.”