Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce says they're one win away from safety after their 1-1 draw with Tottenham.

Emile Heskey grabbed a 12th-minute equaliser just seven minutes after Dimitar Berbatov had given Spurs a flying start at the JJB Stadium by sidefooting home his 23rd goal of the season.

The result now means Wigan will remain in the top flight for a fourth successive season if they take three points from their JJB Stadium clash with another of their relegation rivals in Reading.

"Bolton's result (a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough) has given them a lifeline, of course it has," assessed Bruce. "But the position is we've gone up two places in the table, so it's in our hands.

"If we beat Reading then we're safe, and we can't ask for anything better than that with three games to play, so it's all to play for."

Bruce was grateful for the draw given the way Spurs started the game, appearing anything but a team with nothing to play for.

"I was pleased with the point because Tottenham, particularly in the first half hour - and Berbatov in particular - were excellent," added Bruce.

"It's possibly the best anybody has played against us of late given the way the pitch has been playing.

"I thought they were very good, especially in the forward areas, which shows good players can still play on a bad pitch because he (Berbatov) caused us all sorts of problems.

"But it was typical of the team. We changed things tactically after the break and came more into the game."