Jewell said: "This is our big chance, we could not be in a better position as everything is in our own hands at the present time. I don't want us to look back when we're old and decrepid and think what might have been. We have to go for it and we will. I believe that we are good enough to win promotion this season and it is now a case of us all proving me right.
"It's going to be extremely tough because, as everyone knows, this League is ultra competitive. However, we must make sure we do everything within our powers to gain promotion this year.
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"This should be a fantastic time to be a Wigan fan, a Wigan player and the Wigan manager, so let's make the most if it. It would be momentous if we got up, and while I got Bradford promoted, going up with Wigan would be my biggest achievement in football.
"To do it here with the stigma attached to the club - the fact people say we're a rugby town and with the talk about the small gates - would give me more pleasure than anything. The hunger is there for myself and the players, and hopefully the disappointment of last season will stand us in better stead this time.
"I'm desperate to get into the Premiership, I want to be a Premiership manager because it's the best place to be in football. I'm ambitious, I hope the players are just as ambitious, and if we didn't go up, it wouldn't be because of a lack of preparation or a lack of drive or a lack of trying to strengthen the squad. What we've got to do is keep focusing on winning matches as that is what will get promotion, not dreaming about it.
"It's amazing when you stop and consider the great strides the club has taken in such a very short time because we are not looked upon as the underdogs despite the size of the clubs that we are up against. Five years ago the position we are in now would have been unthinkable and we must not waste the good work we have done so far.
"The games from here on in won't be pretty but we want promotion and we know we'll have to kick, scrap and grind out results to get it. It's going to be all about who wants it most and we must ensure that it is us that does between now and the end of the season."
Latest Table
| Last game played on Wednesday 26th January 2005 | Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 30 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 56 | 37 | 59 | +19 | ||||
| 2 | Wigan Athletic | 30 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 53 | 22 | 57 | +31 | ||||
| 3 | Sunderland | 30 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 43 | 26 | 56 | +17 | ||||
| 4 | Reading | 30 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 27 | 50 | +10 | ||||
| 5 | Derby County | 31 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 25 | 24 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 43 | 38 | 48 | +5 | ||||
| 6 | Sheffield United | 30 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 37 | 48 | +2 | ||||
| 7 | Preston North End | 30 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 41 | 40 | 46 | +1 | ||||
| 8 | Millwall | 30 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 29 | 45 | +6 | ||||
| 9 | West Ham United | 30 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 40 | 39 | 45 | +1 | ||||
| 10 | Queens Park Rangers | 30 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 39 | 42 | 43 | -3 | ||||
| 11 | Leeds United | 31 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 35 | 34 | 40 | +1 | ||||
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra | 29 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 40 | 0 | ||||
| 13 | Burnley | 28 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 23 | 23 | 40 | 0 | ||||
| 14 | Leicester City | 29 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 31 | 27 | 39 | +4 | ||||
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 42 | 41 | 38 | +1 | ||||
| 16 | Stoke City | 30 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 38 | -4 | ||||
| 17 | Watford | 30 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 22 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 36 | 34 | 37 | +2 | ||||
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 30 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 36 | 37 | -12 | ||||
| 19 | Cardiff City | 30 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 21 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 33 | 35 | 34 | -2 | ||||
| 20 | Plymouth Argyle | 30 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 33 | 42 | 33 | -9 | ||||
| 21 | Coventry City | 30 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 49 | 32 | -12 | ||||
| 22 | Gillingham | 30 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 28 | 49 | 29 | -21 | ||||
| 23 | Nottingham Forest | 30 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 26 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 28 | 45 | 25 | -17 | ||||
| 24 | Rotherham United | 30 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 23 | 43 | 20 | -20 | ||||
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