For the majority of the campaign the Latics have been aware they faced another battle for Premier League survival, but since January 22 they have been entrenched in the bottom three. And although their last-gasp 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Birmingham - only a second win in 12 league matches - could not get them off the foot of the table it has put them within touching distance of safety. Remarkably they are only three points off 13th-placed Blackburn and with Newcastle, in 11th, only a further three ahead Martinez thinks one club may be in for a shock as the campaign reaches its climax. The Spaniard believes several of those who previously thought they were safe may not be psychologically prepared for the scrap, unlike his side who have been steeling themselves for it since the beginning of the year. "I feel now there are seven or eight teams from which someone could be surprised and dragged in late in the season," he said. "Mentally it is very hard when you are bottom three and some teams may get into that position late in the season and that is something we need to be aware of and be prepared for. "For us it can only get better. We are still bottom of the table but the next eight games are not just a pressure situation, they are an opportunity to get out of the position we are in. "The league this season has been fantastic from the bottom to the top and there are still a lot of twists and turns to come." Unlikely match-winner Maynor Figueroa provided the late twist at the DW Stadium when he smashed home a 92nd-minute goal with his weaker right foot. It completed a deserved turnaround after a sluggish start had allowed Liam Ridgewell to open the scoring in the sixth minute despite appearing to be offside. Wigan took a while to recover from that blow but Ben Watson produced the pass of the match midway through the first half when his ball inside Ridgewell was reached by right-back Emmerson Boyce on the byline. Blues goalkeeper Ben Foster failed to deal with the resulting cross, pushing it into the path of on-loan Manchester United midfielder Tim Cleverley who gratefully converted from inside the six-yard box. From that point the Latics gained an increasingly solid grip on the game but it appeared their efforts would come to nothing before Figueroa blasted home through a crowd of players in added time, with questions again being asked of Foster. And although they remain bottom Martinez is hopeful it will spark a run of results in their remaining eight games which lifts them clear of trouble. "We need to forget about the table. If you don't get over 40 points it is going to be very difficult to stay in the league," said the Spaniard. "It is impossible to guess the tally we will need but I think with our goal difference we are going to need more than that. "We got three so we need at least another 10. "Our mentality is to get enough points to be happy with our tally. If that is enough only time will tell."
