Wigan Athletic enter the final nine games of the EPL season bottom of the table after failing to turn possession into goals in their 1-0 defeat at high-flying Manchester City two weekends ago.

The Latics have returned from a warm-weather training week in Spain to the heat of a relegation six-pointer at home to 17^th-placed Birmingham City this coming Saturday.

And they re-enter the EPL fray with a plea to fans and players from boss Roberto Martinez to “work together” to win the coming battle to avoid the drop.

Martinez said: “In typical Wigan fashion we need to work together to help our players get the points we need in the upcoming fixtures.

“The stadium needs the right atmosphere and we all have to push in the same direction to help give the players that extra percentage.”

The Spaniard felt that the club’s trip to his native land gave the players a few extra percentage points. He explained: “The week went very well, we had plenty of time to work hard and the change of environment had a positive effect too.

“We’ve had long spells of the season with too many injuries and the week away has helped us further improve that situation.”

The trip particularly benefited to long-serving right-back Emmerson Boyce, who is on the “verge” of first-team contention after suffering a hamstring injury last month.

Martinez claimed: “We accelerated his recovery process by being in La Manga. He was able to complete three training sessions a day.”