CURTIS Davies has accentuated the importance of Blues’ game at Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

The defender said that if Blues were to survive the drop this season, it was necessary to beat their fellow stragglers.

Wigan come into that category. They are bottom of the table and four points adrift of 17th-placed Blues.

A glance at Blues’ run-in shows they also have to play Blackburn Rovers (away, April 9) and Wolves (home, May 1), then Newcastle United (away, May 7) immediately after their last West Midlands derby of the campaign.

Four more victories from their remaining fixtures should be enough for Blues as with 13 draws it would take them at least to 43 points.

“You’d say that but I think the most important thing is to beat the teams around you,” Davies said.

“We lost to West Brom and it catapulted them up and kept us down there.

“If you beat the teams around you it gives you a bit of breathing space because a lot of them are getting good results.

“West Ham have dug themselves out from a situation where people were saying they are already going down, so it is a tough ask.

“It is so tight that one win can catapult you up four or five places and hopefully on Saturday we can get that win.

“Wigan is a massive game. Our form, if anything, has been better away from home. I don’t know if that is because of the shape we play.

“To get three points there would be massive in helping us to stay up.

“Wigan are a team who can play football and on their day they can match anyone, like they showed against Manchester City.

“I know they lost 1-0 but they matched them all the way and could have nicked it.

“It will be tough. As long as we go about our game in the right way, hopefully it won’t matter what Wigan turn up and we can get a result.”

Davies made his second Blues appearance following his £3.5 million move from Villa in the FA Cup defeat by Bolton Wanderers.

Some say going out of the cup was a blessing in disguise because it might have harmed Blues in the league otherwise. But not Davies.