Wigan Athletic have not had an enjoyable last few weeks, having failed to win in their last six fixtures, with their manager giving a clear message to Paul Mullin and his teammates to turn their fortunes around.
The Wrexham loanee was seemingly enjoying his start to life in Greater Manchester; however, he has lost form, as he has only scored four in his 15 matches.
Wigan currently occupy 17th in League One, which is not where they want to be at this point in the season, yet it is still early in the campaign, and there is time to climb the division.
Ryan Lowe appears frustrated with the attention around Mullin from the media leading to further scrutiny on his decisions, but now he has another message for the Latics squad ahead of their next clash with Port Vale.
Wigan’s manager is looking for Paul Mullin and his teammates to deliver a positive performance
A win is needed to stop this poor run of form for the Latics, and that starts with the performance from the players on the pitch, as the pressure begins to increase on the manager.
Mullin was withdrawn at halftime in the loss to Wycombe Wanderers, so he will have a point to prove in the next fixture against Port Vale.
Lowe believes it is not all on the Wrexham loanee to deliver results, and the whole squad must be performing, with the result incredibly important in the next game, as he explained to the club media.
He said: “When you lose a game of football, you’re disappointed. Everyone associated with the Football Club is disappointed – because we’re trying to please everyone.
“We have to keep going, and at some point, we’ll break the bad run we are on and get three points.
“Actions speak louder than words now. We can talk forever and a day, and keep rueing over chances missed.
“What we do on a Saturday afternoon and throughout the week will benefit us, and that’s what we’ll need to stick to and keep believing in.
“The lads are aware that we represent Wigan Athletic Football Club, the community, and the fans. We have to wear the badge with pride, and we do. We’ve come into a bit of pressure at the moment – results haven’t been going our way, but the lads have previously shown what they can do.”
Paul Mullin on playing for Wigan Athletic
While the 30-year-old striker will not have been pleased to have been withdrawn at halftime in the last Wigan fixture against Wycombe Wanderers, he appears to be happy at the club.
Mullin is determined to prove that he is capable of being a leading striker in League One after he witnessed his minutes last season at Wrexham diminish in the latter stages of the campaign.
Speaking to Wigan Today, he said: “I’m absolutely loving being here [Wigan]. After a successful few years, I came here wanting to play more football.
“The manager has been absolutely fantastic, giving me a lot. He’s refreshed me in many ways – the work he does on the training pitch, the hard work he puts in, and the help he’s given me have been fantastic.
“The group I’ve come into – every player has been brilliant. We’re all working towards a common goal, and we’ve got togetherness. Setbacks happen in football, but it’s about responding right after the last week.
“I’m loving life here and really enjoying playing on the pitch.”