Wigan Athletic: Tendayi Darikwa discusses what the mood in camp is like under Shaun Maloney

The club are unbeaten in their first four games under the former Scotland midfielder, and travel to Deepdale this Saturday to take on Preston North End (K.O. 3pm).

Darikwa states the entire squad want to build on a positive few weeks under Maloney.

“It’s been great,” he said.

“He’s come in and given everyone a massive lift.

“It’s not just the players, you can see the way the fans have engaged with him.

“He knows the club and the town very well, and is a bit of a legend here.

“The situation with the managers this season has been out of the players hands, we don’t make those decisions, but this group has given their all for everyone we’ve played for.

“He’s (Maloney) got his own style of play and coaching methods, which are different to the others we’ve had.

“We are enjoying our start under him, and hopefully that shows in our performances moving forward.

“Performances have improved, which is down to the manager, but it’s just about focussing on ourselves to get the results we need.

“We’ve assessed our performance from the game against Norwich and there were a lot of positives in that.

“Going to Preston we know what to expect.

“It’s a local derby so it’s probably going to be played at a frantic pace, so it’s one we are looking forward to.

“Hopefully this is the game that changes the recent form guide there.

“They’ve been struggling at home this season but we are under no illusions that they are a good team.

“It’s going to be a strong test for us and hopefully we can take our performance from last weekend into this one, and take the three points.

“We know where we are in the league, and we know exactly what needs to be done in terms of results.

“Performances have improved but at the end of the day it’s all about points.

“As a player you’re always aware of where you are; I’d be lying if I said you don’t keep an eye on it, but it’s about focusing on ourselves because there’s enough games to keep it in our favour.”