Martinez rallies his troops

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has urged his players not to relax despite having moved away from the relegation zone.

The Latics are a point away from the bottom three, but have been on an impressive run of form which has seen them defeat Arsenal and Manchester United.

Martinez, 38, urged his squad to continue producing performances that will guarantee their top-flight survival, rather than risk becoming complacent.

Martinez told Sky Sports News: “We are not looking at the table at all.

“Throughout this season we put ourselves in a situation where we have been catching up. We were fighting to get points we lost earlier in the season.

“Since February we have found a really good level of performance and that is all I’m concentrating on, to carry on that level until the final moment on the final day of the season.

“It would be a big mistake to think that we are safe just because we are outside the relegation places.”

Wigan have been in several relegation scraps since winning promotion in 2005 and Martinez believes that his side’s perennial struggle for survival highlights the competitiveness of the league.

“We all know last season we were in the relegation places and came out in the last 15 minutes of the last game. That shows you the competitive nature of this league,” he said.

“There is only one team relegated at this stage and there are five teams for two places.

“It would be a big mistake for any one of that five to think that you are safe because you are out of the relegation places.

“We are really aware and realistic that everything is to play for. We have a unique opportunity of getting as many points as we can from the next nine and we will be giving our all for that.”