Wigan Athletic players have vowed to refund fans with the price of their match day ticket following the 9-1 debacle against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, regretting that supporters had been 'let down'.

The Latics' devastating defeat, which featured some truly woeful defending, included five-goal haul for Spurs striker Jermaine Defoe, scored in just 36 second half minutes, and was the club's heaviest loss in their 31-year history.

It also broke the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League game, and leaves Wigan, somewhat unsurprisingly, with the worst goal difference in the top-flight, despite the fact that they sit outside of the drop zone.

Club captain Mario Melchiot, speaking on behalf of the rest of the team in a statement released on the club's official website, explained that the gesture was a no-brainer, given the thoroughly unprofessional nature of their performance.

The former Cheslea defender, 33, hoped that the action would help to convince fans that the players did not take their support for granted, and insisted the side were already looking to make up for the result next weekend.

"The club have announced that the players of Wigan Athletic have decided to personally refund every Latics fan who bought a ticket from the DW Stadium ticket office for the match against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday."

"Speaking on behalf of all the players, 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.

"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.

"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."