After a Ben Watson goal gave Wigan Athletic a sensational FA Cup success on Saturday evening, Roberto Martinez has set his sights on Premier League survival.
The Latics were huge underdogs to win the cup at Wembley, as they faced a Manchester City side containing the likes of Joe Hart, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure. However, Martinez’s side rarely looked second best against a below-par Blues, and a stoppage time header from Watson secured a 1-0 win.
This was Wigan’s first piece of major silverware, and clearly an emotional occasion for chairman Dave Whelan who bought the club back in 1995 when they were in the fourth tier of English football. As for Martinez, he limited his celebrations, as he now turns his attention to keeping the DW Stadium in the top-flight.
“It is a shame that the final couldn’t be the final game of the season and we could have been enjoying and celebrating,” said the Spaniard. “Today wasn’t an accident. That doesn’t happen by mistake or because we were lucky. I believe we can get enough points to stay in the league which would be like winning the title. We will fight hard to get the Double.”
Currently three points adrift of safety with just two matches remaining, Wigan resume their battle against the drop when they travel to Arsenal on Tuesday night. They then welcome Aston Villa to Lancashire for the final game of the season next weekend.
Martinez, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with succeeding David Moyes at Everton, and this FA Cup success will only see his stock rise further. Now, if he can guide the Latics to Premier League survival once more, it would seem inevitable that Whelan will be taking a call from his counterpart at Goodison Park in the coming days.
