Kirkland out to blunt Blades

Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland is hoping he never has to relive the horror he endured at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Kirkland collapsed in the Wigan dressing room at the Riverside within seconds of leaving the pitch for the half-time interval.

The England international had inadvertently received a bang on the head from team-mate David Wright three minutes before the break.

Although Kirkland saw out the half, he soon required oxygen from attending paramedics, while his neck was put in a brace.

The 25-year-old was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to another nearer his north-west home for the night.

Kirkland came through last night’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the JJB Stadium with no ill effects, other than bruised pride.

He said: “I got the knock and it wasn’t too long after that I was walking into the dressing room and I didn’t feel right.

“I felt very weak. My legs went and I keeled over on the bed. I found it hard to breathe.

“But the medical staff were great and after a couple of hours I started to come round. I had a very sore head with a big lump on the side of it.

“The staff at Wigan were very good to me as well. In the run up to last night they left it up to me and I wanted to play.”

Kirkland is understood to have told medics on Saturday to pass on a message to manager Paul Jewell that he would be fit to face the Gunners.

He now has no recollection of that, adding: “Looking back I can’t really remember a lot.

“The main thing is I’m okay and hopefully I never have to go through that again.”

After successive home defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, Kirkland knows the Latics cannot afford another when Sheffield United visit on Saturday.

“It was very disappointing to concede late on. It’s hard to take, but we can’t dwell too long on it,” insisted Kirkland.

“We’ve a big game against Sheffield United and hopefully we can bounce back.

“It will be a different test to the one we faced against Arsenal because United are a big, battling side.

"They will come here and make it very difficult.

“Neil Warnock has his side playing really well and they’ve had a couple of good results lately.

“But if we play like we did against Arsenal then we will have a very good chance. We have to do that, ensuring we start strong.”

Jewell’s side more than held their own against Arsenal but, as the Latics boss pointed out after the game, they paid the price for one momentary lapse of concentration.

Kirkland said: “We knew we had to get at them from the start and we did that.

“Against a great team with world-class players we created chances, but we had one lapse and we were punished.

“We got done in the end, but that is what can happen in the Premiership.”