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Moses happy with slow introduction

Young forward prepared to wait for promised land of a starting berth at Wigan

Andy Hampson
Friday 19 February 2010 01:00 GMT
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Rising star Victor Moses insists he is happy to bide his time at Wigan. The club's manager Roberto Martinez pulled off a coup to land the 19-year-old forward from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day but will not rush him into Premier League action.

Moses was given just 11 minutes off the bench in Wednesday night's goalless stalemate against Bolton, following on from six minutes at Sunderland.

His introduction came too late to change the course of a drab derby between two relegation-threatened teams but he did show a flash of talent with a late shot into the side netting at the DW Stadium.

Moses said: "It's a big step up for me coming from the Championship to the Premier League and it's up to the gaffer when I play and what role I take up. I think he wants to just bring me into the team slowly, help me get used to the type of game in the Premier League and give me the best chance of performing well at this level.

"I'm made up to be here, everyone has welcomed me and been really friendly and now I just want to keep enjoying myself and enjoying my football."

The result lifted Wigan to 14th in the table but they remain just two points above the relegation zone.

With Sunderland in 13th and Burnley in 19th separated by just three points, the battle to avoid the drop is intense.

Moses is convinced that Wigan have the ability to survive. "The defence are looking really solid at the moment and keeping clean sheets," he said. "We just have to start taking our chances up front to make sure our performances are rewarded with the points they deserve.

"We have to start getting three points from games, we can't keep just picking up draws because it's not enough. But I'm confident our game-plan and tactics will work out and get us the points we need."

Bolton's position also improved after their short trip across Greater Manchester, taking them above manager Owen Coyle's former club Burnley to 18th.

But that still leaves them in the relegation zone and Coyle searching for the right formula. Bolton have won just one of their seven league games – against Burnley – since Coyle took charge last month.

But he remains upbeat and is confident of taking more points from upcoming fixtures against Blackburn and relegation rivals Wolves.

"I said coming into this group of games I believed we could win points from them," said the former Republic of Ireland international.

"This was a game we could have won but we move on and who is to say that won't be an important point?

"We came into the club in the bottom three, there was work to be done. The lads are showing that, they are working their socks off and showing quality.

"When we came into the club there hadn't been a clean sheet in the Premier League, we've now had a few since we came in.

"It is pleasing we are having chances but we now have to add to that and hit the back of the net."

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