Wigan assistant boss Eric Black believes he has seen enough in his short time at the JJB Stadium to suggest the Latics can pull themselves away from the relegation zone.

Black was reunited with new Wigan manager Steve Bruce last week following the pair's successful three-year partnership at Birmingham.

Despite Saturday's encouraging 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Manchester City - a result which ended a run of eight straight defeats - the Latics remain rooted in the bottom three of the Barclays Premier League.

"We have everything to play for," he told the club's official website.

"We've stopped the rot now and although the position is not ideal, we probably wouldn't have been brought in if things had been going well.

"We're not adrift yet, we know a couple of wins will see us right back in the pack and that has to be our immediate goal.

"As to the rest of the season, I am confident we can steadily pull away from trouble."