Wigan Athletic 'up for the fight', insists defensive rock

It promises to be a real six-pointer in South Wales as rock-bottom Latics aim to clip the wings of the Bluebirds, who stand four points and four places above them.

And Whatmough has pledged Latics will be on the front foot from the off with their Championship status at risk.

“It’s going to be a real fight, and we need points to stay in this division," he said. “And they are in the exact same position as us.

"So I think it’s going to be a tight contest, and one we can hopefully come out on top.

“In the changing room, there is a collective feeling that we want to fight and keep this club in the division.

"There is no-one who will take a backwards step, and we will all stand up to the challenge.

“We’ve got a lot of quality in our changing room, and we have a lot of players who can get us out of this situation on our own.

"As a group, we will all come together to make sure we come out of the right side (of the season).”

Despite having lost their previous four league games - the last three by 4-1 - confidence levels were raised by a spirited showing in last weekend's 1-1 FA Cup draw at Luton.

"It was something to build on," Whatmough acknowledged. “We were better defensively, which is something I look at personally.

"There was a better feeling within the whole group, and it was a lot more like us.”