Shaun Maloney has conceded that his Wigan Athletic side may need to win three of their last four encounters to secure their Premier League status.

Saturday's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the DW Stadium coupled with Aston Villa's 6-1 victory over Sunderland last night has left Wigan third from bottom and five points from safety.

With a game against West Bromwich Albion to come this weekend, Maloney has set his teammates the target of collecting at least nine points over the coming weeks.

"A point against a side like Spurs is never a bad result, but it kind of felt like a defeat," the Scot told Wigan Today.

"The vital thing at this time of year is to pick up three points and yet again we didn't manage to do that.

"We take this feeling into the next game at West Brom now, and it magnifies the importance of that one. At the minute it feels like it's still in our hands, but we might have to win three of the last four games to keep it that way."

After West Brom, Wigan will take on Swansea City, Arsenal and Aston Villa.