Wigan Athletic 1 Burnley 0: We'll have a sulk and then bounce back says Laws

With his back towards the thousands of Burnley supporters gathered behind his goal in the second half, Kirkland was hit on the top of his head in the 53rd minute.

With the 28-year-old clearly in pain, referee Mike Jones was forced to stop the game to allow the goalkeeper to receive treatment.

No serious damage was done and Kirkland continued to play a pivotal role in his side's much-needed victory.

The Football Association may now look into the matter, but as Wigan boss Roberto Martinez remarked: "You cannot take coins from the away fans."

Kirkland will no doubt have been smiling as Rodallega scored the game's only goal in time added on for his treatment but it was a painful blow for the visitors who have now lost 15 of their 16 away matches in the Barclays Premier League.

Brian Laws's side had certainly done enough to claim at least a point – it would have been only their second on the road this season.

They were also poised for their first clean sheet on their travels since their Coca-Cola Championship play-off semi-final victory at Reading last May.

But it was not to be for the Clarets, who must somehow find a way to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and go again against their bitter local rivals Blackburn next Sunday.

Laws spoke about the need for the players to lick their wounds, and on them being given time to sulk, but knows there must be no long faces in training today.

"I sincerely believe I will have to pick up the players over the next few days," he said.

"But they're human beings after all, and it's an emotional game. If you're not hurt by that then you're not human.

"We're all going to be licking our wounds over the weekend, no question about it, and I'll be sulking as much as anybody else.

"It will be a terrible weekend for me. However, I'll come in bright and breezy on Monday and we'll get going again, because that's what we have to do.

"We have to lift ourselves up and prepare for a magnificent game against Blackburn. I can't wait."

He continued: "It was devastating to lose the game in that manner, but it shows you how football can be in the Premier League.

"But what has warmed me is the performance, commitment, desire and drive we showed.

"We must not let it affect us. We have to keep believing we can turn things around, and on this performance it tells me and the supporters that the players haven't given up.

"If they keep driving on and putting in performances like that, in particular against our next opponents which is going to be a huge game, then I can see us winning that game."

Kirkland refused to let the coin-throwing incident overshadow his and the Latics' day, with the club taking a vital stride towards safety as they are now seven points clear of the relegation zone.

"It was a late one (the goal), but there's the old saying 'better late than never'," said Kirkland with a smile.

"It was a tough game, and we understood the crowd was anxious given the position we're in.

"Obviously, there is no better time to score than in injury time, which meant we just had to see out a couple of minutes.

"It's a massive win, and very much needed because the situation we are in, people don't realise how much pressure is on you, and we all felt that.

"We knew it was a big game, one we had to win, and that added to the pressure, but the lads kept going right until the end."

Kirkland appreciates Wigan now have "a bit of breathing space" to the bottom three, but he is also experienced enough to know they are far from home and dry.

As in the game on Saturday, they have to keep going through to the end of the season.

"It goes to show what a win can do for you," added Kirkland. "But it's not over, not by a long shot. There are still seven games left, and it's still going to be very tight so we have to make sure we stay above the relegation zone. No one knows how many points will be needed for safety. Until the end of the season you never really know.

"We just have to make sure we're above the bottom three come the last game."

The goal came when substitute Victor Moses cut in from the right wing in the third minute of stoppage time and curled a ball into the area for Rodallega to head home his ninth goal of the season.

Wigan Athletic: Kirkland, Melchiot, Caldwell, Bramble, Figueroa, McCarthy, Scharner (Scotland 33), Diame, Thomas (Moses 74), Moreno, Rodallega. Unused substitutes: Stojkovic, Gohouri, Amaya, Gomez, Sinclair.

Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Duff, Cort, Jordan, Alexander, Elliott, McDonald, Paterson (Eagles 82), Steven Fletcher (Blake 68), Nugent. Unused substitutes: Weaver, Edgar, Bikey, Thompson, Cork.

Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire).