I was very sceptical about whether Wigan could haul themselves out of trouble yet again at the end of a difficult Premier League campaign but they have certainly turned the corner and three more points beckon on Saturday.
It must infuriate Latics boss Roberto Martinez that his players only seem to raise their game when threatened with relegation but they are once more finding their stride when it matters most and it is now four wins in five matches.
Wigan were magnificent at Goodison Park when beating Everton 3-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals but Premier League points are the priority and they followed up with a crucial win over Newcastle.
The 2-1 win at the DW Stadium was overshadowed by Callum McManaman’s horror tackle on Massadio Haidara but Wigan will have been buoyed by Arouna Kone’s last-minute winner and safety is now very much in sight.
Victory on Saturday over Norwich would take Wigan out of the drop zone, at the expense of Aston Villa who play Liverpool on Sunday, and their recent form has been magnificent.
A 4-1 win at Huddersfield came six days before a morale boosting thrashing of Reading at the Madejski Stadium and Wigan have now scored 12 goals in their last five matches.
There has never been any doubt about Martinez’s men going forward but two clean sheets in the last month will have been encouraging for the Spaniard and they are tipped to have too much for Norwich.
The Canaries are probably just about safe, with 34 points they currently occupy twelfth place, but Chris Houghton’s side are grinding their way towards retaining their top flight status and continue to underwhelm.
They were excellent value for a point at Sunderland last time out, despite being down to ten men for an hour, but the goals have dried up and Norwich have scored just four in their previous 10 matches in all competitions.
That is a shocking return at this level and, with Wigan’s firepower, could well be their undoing once again.
3pts Back Wigan (vs. Norwich) @ 2.00 (various)