Wigan Athletic skipper sets sights on new sequence after setback

Aiming to pick up three home wins in the space of a week, Latics led twice against Stevenage before going down by the odd goal in five at the DW.

It was their first setback in the league since Boxing Day - but Magennis says the six-point return from the week is not to be sniffed at.

“We knew going into the game that we could make it a nine-point week, which was a massive thing to be chasing down," said Magennis, who put Latics ahead from the penalty spot inside five minutes before it all unravelled.

“It would’ve stood us in good stead, but it wasn’t to be. It was very frustrating, and more with ourselves, because if we had defended our box better as a team, we probably would’ve got three points.

“We knew coming into this game that Steve Evans’ team is very efficient in what they do. They don't mess around, their whole squad is on the same page, and they constantly ask questions of you.

“Three times we didn’t have the answer. I think we played well in the game and we weren’t broken down tactically.

"We took our chances that we needed to take, but unfortunately on those three times we had to defend our box we couldn't.

"Listen, whenever you get beat, you can nitpick, you can poke, you can prod. But we managed to ride our luck and win the last two games 1-0, and unfortunately this time Stevenage kept rolling the dice and their numbers kept coming up.

"There's no finger-pointing, there's no blame, we win and lose as a team. But the majority of this week has been positive, we've managed to pick up six points out of nine, and we move on.

The recent good run means Latics remain seven points above the drop zone - even with their eight-point deduction - heading into Saturday's trip to high-flying Peterborough.

“Everyone wants to go unbeaten and everyone wants to win every game they can, but unfortunately that’s not the case," Magennis added.

"We've been flying since Boxing Day, and deservedly so, showing both sides of our game - physically as well as tactically.

“The disappointment comes from the expectations and standards we’ve managed to set, and we fully believed we could have got nine points out of nine.

"But this is football, anything can happen, will happen, and we’ll take the six points, they are vitally needed, this league is very easy and wins don’t come easily.

“Overall, the week has been a solid week, and we’re looking forward to a good week next week ahead of Peterborough.

"We know what they bring, they are a very astute team who are very, very dangerous on the counter attack, and they like to play football.

"But we are in a solid position ourselves, we can be dangerous to them, and we can go there and cause many problems for them."