Embarrassed Wigan Athletic players have pledged to pay back the fans who travelled to London to witness Sunday's 9-1 mauling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs inflicted the second heaviest defeat in Premier League history on the travelling Latics and skipper Mario Melchiot has revealed that he and his team-mates are keen to make up for the embarrassment caused.

"We feel that as a group of players we badly let down our supporters yesterday and this is a gesture we have to make and pay them back for their tremendous loyalty," he told the club's official website.

"There is not a lot else to say, just that as a group of professionals we were embarrassed by the way we performed, we feel it was below our standards and this is something we feel we owe to the fans."

Speaking ahead of next weekend's home clash with Sunderland, Melchiot has called on the club's fans to forget their White Hart Lane horror show.

He added:"Now we have to draw a line under the game, focus completely on training this week and bounce back on Saturday.

"We are professionals, we will take it on the chin and move on but it's important that we do not take our supporters for granted."

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