Wigan Athletic boss Gary Caldwell says his side has achieved “nothing yet” after picking up seven points from a possible nine to climb three points away from the League One relegation zone with a game in hand.
The 2-0 victory against Exeter City, the club in which he left to take charge of Wigan last month, signaled Caldwell’s fourth win from eight matches since returning to the Brick Community Stadium for a second spell as manager.
Saturday’s trip to Reading (15:00 GMT), who are coached by former Latics boss Leam Richardson, is the first of eight matches remaining in Wigan’s fight to stay in the third-tier.
“Everyone is coming into work with a smile on their face and ready to go again,” Caldwell told Radio Manchester.
“As much as we’ve been doing well, there’s still a long way to go, and we have to understand that.
“We’ve achieved nothing yet and we have to keep making sure we keep building and keep progressing. I still think there’s a lot of potential in this team – we can play better.”
Caldwell’s quick transformation of the club – 22nd in League One when he took over less than six weeks ago following Ryan Lowe’s dismissal – has not allowed him to rest easy.
“I don’t think you ever breathe easily as a manager,” he said.
“I keep saying ‘the league table will take care of itself come the end of the season’, and then we will assess what we’ve done as a club in the whole season.
“From now to the end of the season, it’s about developing as a team, getting better, and picking up as many points as we can.
“At no point in that time will we take the foot of the gas.”