Chris Forino dedicated his Wigan match-winner to the fans after he gave them a night to remember, writes Pete Oliver.
Forino will go down in Wanderers’ modern-day history as the man who ended a decade of hurt against the Whites’ local rivals.
The defender coolly steered home the 92nd-minute goal which gave Steven Schumacher’s men a famous 1-0 win and a first victory over the Latics for 10 men to prompt joyous scenes of celebration on and off the pitch for the Wanderers’ contingent inside the Brick Community Stadium.
“It was a fabulous moment. I'm really happy to get off the mark. I like chipping in with goals and it was a great game to do it in. I'm happy for the fans,” said Forino, who charged the length of the pitch to salute the away end after firing Wanderers back into the play-off places with his first goal for the club.
“I don't really plan celebrations. I'm not one of those players that scores loads of goals, but I just thought, you know, I know how much these fans wanted to win and how long it's been since they've won here.
“So I thought, like, that's for them. If we win tonight, whoever the goal was coming from, it was for them and they deserved that moment. I keep saying it. The fans, they can do more than they know for us as players. The support tonight was fantastic the whole time. It wasn’t the prettiest match, but they stuck with us and it really does mean a lot.”
Forino played with a gum shield in his mouth to protect teeth he damaged when trying to score a late equaliser at Blackpool last Saturday when Wanderers suffered a third straight defeat.
That left the Whites with ground to make up in the play-off race and after lifting themselves up off the canvas for Forino to deliver the knock-out below they are now back in the top six thanks to a historic derby night.
“When I came in, I wanted to be a big part of this football club,” added Forino, who is now firmly making his mark following an injury-hit start to his first season with the Whites. “So knowing about the history and knowing about the boys in there is important. I kind of got told about these derby games and some hiccups in the past.
“But tonight there was a different feeling going into the game. Like I said, before Blackpool there isn't any nervousness after a couple of bad results and even after Blackpool, we dusted ourselves down quickly and tonight there was a special feeling.
“We’re in a run-in so tonight was important to win. I'm glad for the fans about the derby but leaving with three points was the most important and it’s the same again on Saturday.
“We're in a run-in for a play-off spot so three points is a must in every game. It’s great that we're back in it and we just need to do our job and focus on ourselves and see where we land.”
Watch the full post-match interview with Chris on Wanderers TV