Wigan's Sky Bet Championship campaign came to a close with a 0-0 draw against Rotherham, and Shaun Maloney was delighted with how his team handled yet another "hard...difficult" week.
This dead rubber was always going to have an end-of-season vibe because the Millers were already secure.
Even more so considering that half of Wigan's usual lineup was not included in the squad and that the players had not been paid on time for the fifth time this season.
Sam Tickle, a young goalkeeper for Wigan, was the game's best player in his league debut, but on a gloomy afternoon at the DW, neither team appeared capable of bothering the goal scorers.
Maloney stated, "I actually really liked the second half. We had to make a small adjustment at halftime, and I really appreciated the attitude we had.It was a touch shaky in the first half. To be fair, some of the players hadn't played in a while, or at least not with one another.
"I just told them that after such a very, very difficult few days, I needed a little bit more aggression and confidence in that second half.
"And there were many positives to come out of it, especially the performance of a number of young players."
Maloney continued, when questioned about the predicament off the field: "It's been hard, really hard.I believe that everyone had hoped and anticipated that these types of days were behind us. Yes, it was challenging for everyone to deal with once more.
"There's just been a lack of clarity," the manager said, "which makes it hard for me to manage the team and manage the players individually."And once more, I must express my gratitude to the team, five of whom competed despite not being paid.That's not to minimize the actions of any of the other players that took the same course of action earlier this season when the same thing occurred.
Given all they've lived through, they are just an extremely unique group.
"People shouldn't forget that they went above and beyond this year for the club.
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