Wigan manager Roberto Martinez: West Ham clash will be our cup final

Roberto Martinez, Wigan (Getty Images)

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Roberto Martinez claims four points in two games should ensure Premier League football for Wigan next season after his side drew 1-1 at Aston Villa Saturday, and believes next week’s clash with West Ham is a “cup final”.

Charles N’Zogbia gave the Latics the lead before Ashley Young restored parity with a well-taken free-kick leaving Wigan in 18th spot level with Blackpool on points with two matches remaining.

Martinez told Sky Sports: “It’s fair to say 40 points is safety this season. That’s what we have to work towards. West Ham is the next one and then we have Stoke.

“Facing West Ham is probably a cup final within the league, and how exciting has the league been this season?”

Emile Heskey sparked anger on the pitch when he appeared to barge referee Mike Jones after the official refused to award the Villa man a free-kick but the Wigan boss distanced himself from the incident.

“It was a strange incident,” said Martinez. “I didn’t see what happened, but most of the players were saying he clearly contacted the referee and he was lucky to stay on the pitch.

“Emile is a true professional – he has a fantastic passion for the game – and that was reflected today.

“I don’t know – I’ll have to look at the incident again to know what the final outcome is.

“Footballers are human beings. They care about their position in the table and what’s at stake.

“But the players enjoyed their football today. They kept the ball really well, we were composed, and I felt they worked really hard and enjoyed their football.”

Despite being pegged back through Young’s free-kick, thus dropping two valuable points, Martinez refused to criticise his goalkeper Ali Al-Habsi.

“I don’t think the first one was a mistake,” he added. “The ball came through a cloud of bodies – we all know the quality Ashley Young has on free-kicks – but Ali was there for the team when we needed him.

“Goalkeeper is a lonely position, and we have to rely on Ali Al Habsi. His concentration and his quality are there for everyone to see.

“On the other end we had a couple good opportunities to get that second goal. Probably Caldwell in the first half and Rodallega in the second half – I thought we were a real threat from open play and that was very very pleasing.

“We had to defend at times and we did that very very well. From the position we’re in it’s a very good performance.”