Wigan inspired by fan who had heart attack during West Ham thriller

Roberto Martinez has told his Wigan players to beat the drop for a Latics fan who suffered a near-fatal heart attack during their win over West Ham.

Lifelong supporter George Owen, 83, collapsed in the final minutes of their sensational 3-2 victory at the DW Stadium on Sunday and Martinez claims everyone at the club has been touched by his dedication.

Mr Owen is in intensive care and Wigan have invited him to their first home game of next season - which they hope will be a Premier League fixture.

"I know what this club means to the town because I first came here in 1995. But what really brought that home to me was when we had a fan, who has been following the club for 50 years, have a heart attack during our last game," said the Latics boss.

"We were delighted that George is feeling better, but [he] is still in hospital. That's how much it feels individually and collectively for the town. In our lives, nothing gets your emotion and passions going like football does and that's a responsibility we've got for the town.

"We are looking forward to meeting George. I don't know if he'll be able to watch the game and his family may want to keep him away from the Stoke game.

"We want to invite him over for the start of next season. It's a very good story."

Bizarrely, Wigan could lose at Stoke and stay stay up, although Martinez refuses to rely on Blackpool and Birmingham suffering heavy defeats.

"We have done well to get 39 points and if we get 42 and are relegated, I will still be extremely proud of my players," he said. "If we get 39 and stay up, we will be very fortunate, but I don't want to rely on being fortunate."

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