Inigo Calderon has challenged his players to “find a way” to win when Bristol Rovers travel to Wigan Athletic on Saturday, regardless of what the Latics throw at his side.

Rovers are looking to record three consecutive wins in League One for the first time since October 2022 following victories over Cambridge United and Barnsley when they make the long trip north to face a team just one place and two points above them in the table.

Wigan have won just three league games at the Brick Community Stadium so far this season and were beaten 2-1 on Tuesday night by bottom side Burton Albion on their own patch.

Despite improved results, the Gas have still suffered in spells in their recent victories, conceding a number of chances against Barnsley in particular who were wasteful in front of goal on the day. However, Calderon wants his team to be able to respond to whatever challenges they face in this weekend’s clash to ensure that they are the ones who come away with three points.

“It’s going to be trying to find a way and sometimes it’s playing good, sometimes playing not that good but defending good,” Calderon stated ahead of Saturday’s trip. “Sometimes with set-pieces that we haven’t scored too many goals.

“So it’s always trying to find a way and it’s like, no I don’t want to play this way, you have to find a way. We try to work in the different aspects of the game too. If that one part doesn’t work, the other one has to work and probably that’s the key.

“We try to cover all the areas and try to get as many chances to win games. When you do more things right, you have more chances for the day.

“As I say, we didn’t do that many good things right [against Barnsley]. That’s what why we conceded a lot of chances, for example.”

Despite their current position of 17th in League One, Wigan are one of the seven former Premier League teams currently in the third tier with their famous FA Cup success still only 12 seasons ago. Current Latics manager Shaun Maloney was a player for that side.

In fact, it’s been almost 35 years since Rovers last won away at Wigan with their last success a 2-1 victory in April 1990. Last season’s trip on the final day of a campaign that had effectively been over for weeks ended in a 2-0 loss while the two sides played out a goalless draw in front of an empty crowd in the Gas’ 2020/21 relegation campaign.

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Regardless of current standing, this weekend’s hosts are still one of the biggest clubs in League One, which has attracted enhanced outside interest due to the profile of some of the teams currently competing in it. However, having come to England as a player to play in the third tier for Brighton and Hove Albion back in 2010, Calderon believes the division has always had huge clubs.

“Well, for me I think League One has always been a really good league,” the Spaniard confessed. “Maybe because I came here the first one and at that time there was big, big teams. Obviously, Brighton were there, Southampton, Norwich, Leeds. There were massive clubs in League One and now this year, probably you say it’s Wigan, Bolton, Birmingham.

“So it’s always five, six, seven clubs that for history should be higher in the division but the reality is they are there.

“So that’s why for me League One is a great division because you have the big stadiums, big crowds and at the same time sometimes you have smaller clubs that makes it so difficult sometimes because every game is different to the other one.

“But Wigan is a big club. I remember not that long ago they were in the Premier League and playing and winning things. So it’s a big club but at the moment, nowadays, they are with us so it’s a game where we try to win.”