Forward reflects on 1-1 draw at Norwich City.

James McClean | “The lads will fight to the death for each other”
Wigan Athletic forward reflects on his side’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City
McClean on his song from Latics supporters: “It’s very catchy! My son and daughters sing it through the house each day, they know the words off by heart now!”

Wigan Athletic forward James McClean says the group of players in Latics’ dressing room will battle for each other in each game they play, as Leam Richardson’s side drew 1-1 at Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

Reflecting post-match with Latics TV after Max Aarons cancelled out his opener at Carrow Road, McClean said:

“It definitely was [a tough shift]; it was very warm, which didn’t help, but they’re a good side, they haven’t lost many players from last season when they were a Premier League side.

“Being 1-0 up, we’re obviously disappointed not to see the game [through] but if you would have said that we would have left with a draw, obviously we would have been happy with that. It’s a positive start.

“We have a mindset in that dressing room where we know what quality we have and we are not going into every game to survive or settle for a draw. We are going out to win every game because we know the quality we have.

“The lads will fight to the death for each other and that shows, we have a positive mindset every time we step onto the pitch.”

McClean opened the scoring after Richardson’s side absorbed a significant spell of pressure in the opening half hour at Carrow Road.

On his goal and the subsequent outburst of his song from the travelling supporters, McClean added:

“It was about staying calm; first and foremost, make sure your first touch is right and then when the keeper came rushing out it was about showing a bit of composure and keeping my head. When it hits the back of the net, it’s always a nice feeling.

“It’s [the song] very catchy! My son and daughters sing it through the house each day, they know the words off by heart now!”

While the majority of McClean’s 495 career appearances have come in the Premier League and Championship, some of his current Latics colleagues are in single figures in terms of Championship appearances.

Jason Kerr and Curtis Tilt started a Championship together for the first time on Saturday and McClean heaped praise on the duo.

“They were outstanding,” he said. “Like they were last week when we lost Jack [Whatmough] to injury.

“For these lads now, it is about adapting to the emotion of playing at this level for the first time and the more they get used to that, the better we are going to be. It is not a bad start from both of them, they’ve been outstanding in both games after Jack’s unfortunate injury.”

James McClean | “The lads will fight to the death for each other”