Wigan Athletic chief reacts to Reading win - 'spirit...character...determination'

Gary Caldwell admitted 'it felt like a long time' between wins after Wigan Athletic picked up only a second victory of the League One season against Reading.

Latics hadn't even scored in the league since Jensen Weir secured a 3-1 victory over MK Dons on September 2.

But Scott Hogan's scuffed strike from close range - which ended a goal drought of 446 minutes - was enough to give Latics a much-needed three points.

Caldwell's side remain bottom of League One but now only a point adrift of safety, and the Scot insisted the winning feeling was no more than his side deserved.

"I'm obviously delighted with the win," he said. "It's felt like a long time since the last one - we've obviously had the international break as well - but I thought we deserved it.

"I thought the players were excellent in the first half, we were a real attacking threat, some of our play in possession was tremendous, how we were finding a free player.

"We created so many problems for them that they changed shape before half-time, and got a bit more of a foothold in the game.

"We adapted at half-time and, while we weren't quite so free-flowing in the second half, I thought our spirit, our character, our determination not to let the ball go in our net was excellent.

"We kept the players committed and believing, because they knew themselves that they were playing well but hadn't scored again and missed some good chances.

"The most disappointing aspect for me was us giving them some big moments out of very little, and we have to be so much more switched on at all times.

"The finishers came on and gave us what we needed at that time, and we created a brilliant moment that we've been waiting so long for.

"They added physicality, and allowed us to change the way we were playing - instead of playing through the press, we started playing over it.

"We could have scored more than the one goal, and it was pretty stressful at the end. But we saw it out and we'll take that.

"I thought we deserved the clean sheet, because when we had to defend our box, and put our bodies on the line, we stood up to be counted."