Boss Joe Royle says that Wigan will go into next week's final round of league matches as favourites to gain automatic promotion. The Latics, who face Reading at home, are ahead of the Blues, who travel to Brighton, on goal difference.

Royle felt his side's start to the match against Crewe settled the game's outcome: "For 20 minutes we were outstanding and won the game in that period. Once we were two-up it was very difficult for Crewe to come back.

"We passed the ball and think we play the right way. There are 17,000 season ticket holders who seem to agree with me. Only Luton have scored more goals than us, so we must be doing something right.

"I make Wigan slight favourites for the second automatic promotion place because they have a home match and I have great respect for their manager.

"It has been looking for a long time as though the promotion issue would be a last day event.

"I expect a hard game at Brighton because they need a result to stay up and we have not always been fluent in recent away games.

"I think the play-off system is flawed but if we have to deal with it we will. No one is more positive than me."

The Town manager was particularly impressed with Tommy Miller: "He has matured as an all-round player and was brilliant today.

"We played off the front men so that the Crewe central defenders must have needed oxygen."

However, Royle was less pleased with the last minute giveaway goal: "I am rather annoyed about that."

Crewe manager Dario Gradi admitted his side were outclassed by the Blues who he hailed as the best side his team has come up against this season. The veteran boss says the Alex, who have dropped into the relegation zone, have to win their final game: "To stand a chance of staying up we must beat Coventry in our final game, and even that may not be good enough.

"Our results since Christmas suggest we are not strong enough and we looked out of our depth here. Either Ipswich were very good or we were very poor, or it was something in between.

"We haven't got to face Ipswich next week and we must do better than Coventry, but they had a good result today and it will be a tall order.

"Ipswich were excellent, maybe we were a bit short without Colin Murdock in central defence, but we could not make any impact.

"I think we would have been safe had we been able to keep Dean Ashton. He would have made all the difference but it is our policy to let players go when they are offered a good opportunity.

"That's why they sign for us in the first place. I cannot stop them going to a higher league where they might get four times the wages. I don't hold it against them."

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