Wigan Athletic new-boy lifts lid on 'obvious frustration'

And the deadline-day arrival from St Johnstone – whose only previous appearances this term had been in the cups – says his appetite has now been whetted for much more of the same!

“I’m delighted to make my league debut, I thought it went very well,” he told Wigan Today.

“There’s obviously been a bit of frustration over the past few weeks while I’ve not been playing.

“Everyone obviously wants to play football, and I’m no different.

“But I never expected to come down here and walk into the first team – especially with the boys doing so well.

“Jack (Whatmough) and Kell (Watts) have been magnificent all season, and it’s a case of biding your time and waiting for the chance to show what you can do.

“The difficult part is staying as fit as you can while not playing in the games, but that’s part of the challenge and you need to be professional.

“The gaffer gave me that chance on Saturday and I feel like I took it.”

Boss Leam Richardson even tweaked his tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation to accommodate the inclusion of Kerr – and fellow deadline-day capture Curtis Tilt – against Burton.

While the switch to three centre-backs – and wing-backs – would have been a change for most of the Latics players, Kerr felt right at home from the off.

“Last season at St Johnstone, I played that position, I was on the right of a back three, so it was pretty familiar to me,” admitted Kerr, who had been linked with Celtic before moving to the DW in a deal believed to be worth £500,000.

“I slotted in there with ease and I feel like I’ve done well.

“It has been difficult because last season I played basically every game.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be the same here, I’ve been patient and I’ve taken my chance when the gaffer gave it to me.

“We’ve got a lot of quality in the dressing room, and that means there’s always someone waiting to come in when required.”

After playing his career up to now at St Johnstone – with a couple of loan sells at East Fife and Queen of the South – Kerr is enjoying his time south of the border.

“It’s been a little different, with it being a different style of football in a different country,” he acknowledged.

“Obviously I’ve been watching a lot over the last couple of months, and that’s allowed me to ge t a good look at the game down here.

“I’ve seen how Jack and Kell have been doing, and I took that into Saturday which helped me a lot.

“It’s early days but I think I’m capable of getting used to this level.”

The clean sheet against Burton made it eight in 15 league games this term, which Kerr and Co are naturally proud of.

“We’re all happy with the defensive record, but it’s not about the guys at the back and the goalkeeper,” he added.

“It’s also the guys at the top end who are contributing just as much, we defend from the front and that’s how it’s got to be.”

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