Shaun Maloney: Wigan Athletic manager determined but admits wages delay was 'body blow'

Shaun Maloney is battling to try to keep Wigan in the Championship

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney says he is determined to turn things around for the Latics after the "body blow" of delayed wage payments at the club.

That news came days after Wigan announced losses of £7.7m for the financial year ending 30 June 2022.

On the pitch, Wigan climbed off the bottom of the Championship with a 1-1 draw against Coventry on Tuesday.

"I've never experienced this before, but it has felt like a real body blow," said Maloney.

"Even despite where we were in the league, there had been a real positivity around the supporters connecting with the players again.

"That's why it felt like such a blow in those first couple of days."

The latest delay in paying wages at DW Stadium - the fourth time it has happened since June 2022 - leaves the club facing a possible three-point deduction.

On the field, Maloney - a member of the club's famous FA Cup-winning side of 2013 - is Wigan's third manager of the campaign, coming in after both Leam Richardson and Kolo Toure had departed following poor results.

The Latics remain five points from safety and have only managed one win from Maloney's nine games in charge, and it is now just two wins from their past 22 in the Championship.

But Maloney, who will fly to Bahrain to meet the club's owners following Saturday's game at Watford, wants to try to restore their fortunes.

"You saw me at Burnley last weekend - I was devastated with what had happened in the 48 hours previously," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

"But on Sunday I felt a renewed belief and motivation to rebuild this club, so that a season like this never happens again."