Wigan Athletic must maintain Bolton Wanderers momentum ahead of Wrexham, Birmingham City tests | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic must look to continue the momentum they earned against Bolton Wanderers, ahead of clashes with Wrexham, Huddersfield and Birmingham

Wigan Athletic have endured an inconsistent League One campaign so far, which is perhaps best reflected by the fact they have a positive goal difference after 19 games, despite scoring just 17 goals.

The Latics' finest result this season arrived on Saturday though, as they defeated local rivals Bolton Wanderers 2-0 away from home, to ensure that their proud unbeaten record against the Wanderers extended to 10 years.

But aside from their Greater Manchester rivalry with Ian Evatt's men, Shaun Maloney's side will be very pleased that they proved that they have what it takes to defeat a play-off candidate, even on away soil, a feat they also achieved with last month's victory at Barnsley.

Latics must continue Bolton momentum ahead of upcoming tricky tests

The Tics will be on a major high after successfully defeating their bitter rivals once more, and it is vital that they can continue that momentum ahead of consecutive clashes with promotion hopefuls Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City.

The argument could be made that the Latics save some of their best football for games against tough opposition, as they managed to defeat the likes of Barnsley and Bolton, but have also lost to struggling sides such as Cambridge United and Leyton Orient.

However, Maloney's men have already lost to both Birmingham and Huddersfield so far this term, while 29th December will mark their first encounter with Wrexham this campaign.

Furthermore, the Terriers, who the Latics host on New Year's Day, may still hold somewhat of a psychological advantage over the Brick Community Stadium outfit, courtesy of a 1-0 triumph earlier this month.

With this in mind, it is vital that the Tics can put the momentum they earned against the Wanderers into good use, in an effort to overcome bottom-place Shrewsbury Town this Saturday, as well as achieving a victory over Rotherham United on Boxing Day.

If the Latics succumb to a defeat to Shrewsbury on Saturday, perhaps in a similar manner to that of their recent defeat to Orient, then they would travel to Rotherham on Boxing Day with a lack of confidence.

This could, potentially, lead to Maloney's men falling to five consecutive defeats, if all three of the Red Dragons, the Terriers and the Blues can get the better of them.

But on the other hand, if the Latics manage to overcome both the Shrews and the Millers, then they would head into their New Year's Day clash with the Terriers full of momentum.

Latics will need their attackers to perform as well as they did at Bolton

One of the Tics' biggest problems so far this season has been their lack of clinical edge in the final third, hence why the Greater Manchester side have currently scored fewer goals than they have played games.

But against the Wanderers last weekend, Maloney's men suffered no such worries, and managed to score two top drawer goals, and will feel as though they could have scored more.

Forward Dale Taylor's strike against the Wanderers was his first goal since October, and will have done him the world of good, heading into a congested period of Festive fixtures.

Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Thelo Aasgaard has been the Tics' main goal threat this campaign, which is a tally he added to on Saturday, with his sixth league goal of the season.

However, the Norway youth international has not produced as many assists as he would have liked, as he created his first of the season at Bolton.

The Tics will hope that the likes of Taylor and Aasgaard will remain in their current vein of form, given how vital it is that they pick up points against the Shrews and the Millers, ahead of facing back-to-back encounters with three of League One's finest outfits.