Stoke up for Wigan game – Walters

Walters has scored 12 goals in his first season with Stoke City

Jon Walters has said Stoke City will not be looking to do Wigan any favours when the teams meet on the final day of the season.

The Latics are one of five teams in the battle to avoid relegation on Sunday.

“Wigan play good football and they’re a tough team to play against,” Walters told BBC Radio Stoke.

“But we want to win. We want to finish in the top 10 and our supporters have been brilliant all year so we want to give them something to cheer about.”

In one of the tightest relegation battles in Premier League history, Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolves and Blackburn are all hoping to avoid joining West Ham in the Championship next season.

The Hammers’ fate was confirmed with a 3-2 defeat at the DW Stadium on Sunday, although the victory was not enough to lift Wigan, who are currently on 39 points, out of the bottom three.

Only goal difference separates them from Blackpool and Birmingham, while Wolves and Blackburn, who play each other at Molineux on Sunday, have 40 points.

Stoke, meanwhile, are ninth after losing to Manchester City on Tuesday, three days after their FA Cup final defeat to City at Wembley.

Two goals from captain Carlos Tevez and another from Joleon Lescott sealed a comfortable victory for Roberto Mancini’s side.

A win at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday would guarantee a top-half finish for the Potters and Walters, who joined Stoke from Championship side Ipswich in August, is keen for the club to keep progressing.

“If someone had told me this time last year that I would be in the top 10 in the Premier League, joint top scorer, got to an FA Cup final and got into Europe, I’d have snapped their hand off,” said the Republic of Ireland international.

“Once you’ve got that taste for it, you want to push on and do more.

“I’ve always been one that’s not happy with what I’ve got, I always want more, so hopefully next season that’s what we can do.”