Jewell: It's comic book stuff

Supporters are looking forward to the Carling Cup Final, and no doubt the players are too, however Jewell doesn't want the season to finish in Cardiff.

He told the Wigan Evening Post: "My biggest concern is the season doesn't finish on a bit of a low as the first two-thirds have been an absolute dream. Okay, it's not logical for us to keep winning most of our games and finish in the top four or five, that would be comic book stuff.

"But it's comic book stuff what we have done so far, never mind where we end up at the end of the season. I don't want any apathy creeping in, whether that's in the players, supporters or anyone connected with the club.

Paul Jewell: Hungry for even more success

"On Monday I gave the players a really hard training session just to emphasis we can't take our foot off the gas. Minds can get tired at this stage but we can't afford to drift off – you only need to lose five per cent of your edge and you start slipping.

"It's important how you finish one season so you can carry it through to the next. My first season here ended in a 2-2 draw at Colchester after we'd been 2-0 down.

"The supporters there that day had cause for optimism and were looking forward to the next season."

"I'm always demanding more of these lads and going on at them, but it's only because I want us to be even better. But let's have it right, after two thirds of the season most people wouldn't have given us a chance of being in the top 18, let alone the top eight.

"I thought we'd be involved in a relegation battle, not that I would have been content with that, but because I'm a realist. The only thing we were looking for was 17th position, and if you'd given us that before we played Chelsea on the first day of the season, everyone here would have had a big party.

"This is a tough league and sometimes I think people don't realise how tough. You hear talk of 'we're only playing Fulham or Portsmouth' but those clubs have been around and built gradually while we have come up like a rocket."

The Latics boss also commented that it is sometimes easier to play away from home, suggesting that Camara and Roberts' pace come in handy on the break.

Jewell added: "It can be slightly easier to play away due to the pace we usually have up front. Teams come on to us more when we're away, while at the JJB they often sit back and try and hit us on the break.

"If you look at some of the goals we've conceded at home, we have often lost possession first, so concentration is key."