Collins knows trip to in-form Wigan is a big game for Town

James Collins hooks an offside effort goalwards on Saturday

Striker James Collins is gearing up for a battle between two of the division’s in-form teams when Luton head to Wigan Athletic for a relegation six pointer this afternoon.

Despite both side’s positions at the wrong end of the table, the Latics and the Hatters are placed second and fourth in the Championship’s form table based on their last five games.

Three wins and two draws for Paul Cook’s Wigan has seen them climb out of the bottom three recently, as after drawing with Middlesbrough and Cardiff, they beat Millwall 1-0, won 3-0 at Reading and grabbed their best result of the season on Saturday, triumphing 1-0 at leaders West Bromwich Albion.

That made it three victories in a row, without conceding goal either, while Athletic’s form had been pretty good before that too, as although beaten at home by Preston, they had managed back-to-back wins, seeing off Sheffield Wednesday, while also winning at promotion-chasing Leeds United.

Collecting 17 points from a possible 24 has pushed Wigan two clear of the relegation zone now, although Town are also on their best run of the season, with three wins from five, drawing one and losing one, to give their survival hopes a real boost.

A second away win in three games would see Luton move three points behind their opponents, with a home victory surely seeing the Latics out of reach with just nine games to go.

Collins said: “Every game’s a big game, whether they’re at the bottom with us or they’re at the top of the league, every game is a big game.

“We’re going to treat it as any other game, as we’ve got a week to prepare now.

“They’re on a good run, we’re on a good run, so we’ll see who comes out on top.”

Town were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke on Saturday, as they struggled to create that many clear-cut opportunities.

The Hatters have only managed six goals in their last seven games, and Collins, with 11 to his name this term, knows they need to do more

He added: "They limited us to not creating a lot of chances, so credit has got to go to them.

"But we had a goal disallowed, had a header in the first half, shot in the first half, there were chances there to be taken.

"Maybe us a front-line, we need to be a bit more clinical sometimes and help the team out."