by Michael Baggaley

STOKE City captain Andy Griffin has banished any trace of complacency ahead of tomorrow's game at Wigan (12.45pm) by warning the club could need extra points to stay in the Premier League.

Last year's survival mark was 36 points as promoted Birmingham and Derby went straight back down along with Reading.

But Griffin believes more could be needed this season as the division is heading for a much tighter finish.

He believes that is because promoted teams West Brom, Stoke and Hull have so far defied predictions they would be whipping boys.

Only West Brom are in the drop zone, with Stoke in 12th and Hull in 6th. The lack, so far, of any hopeless teams mean just two points separate 10th-placed Manchester City and the second bottom Baggies.

Griffin says up to 10 Premier League clubs could be dragged into a relegation scrap.

He said: "There are leagues within the Premier League.

"You have the top four and then there is the fifth to tenth placed clubs. But then I think any team can be relegated from 11th downwards.

"It doesn't matter whether you are a big club and have a big fan base. You can still be in a relegation battle.

"Usually teams get promoted, go down again, and yo-yo between the divisions.

"But that doesn't always happen. It didn't happen with West Ham, Charlton or Bolton.

"At the moment it does seem to be tight. In the past teams have stayed up with 34 or 35 points, but it used to be the magical 40-point mark which guaranteed safety. Only time will tell whether someone will need as high as 40 points to stay up this year, but it looks that way."

Tomorrow's opponents Wigan are another side who confounded the pundits by finishing 10th in the Premier League in their first season in 2005-2006.

They finished 17th and 14th in the last two seasons and, according to the bookies, are a long shot at 5/1 to be relegated this time.

Griffin is pleased to see Wigan in the top flight, having been born and bred in the town before moving to the Potteries after Stoke spotted him aged 15 in a trial game in Manchester.

His terrifically tigerish approach to the game could be explained by the fact he was a fan of the town's rugby league club as a youngster.

He said: "I am friends with the rugby league player Terry Newton, who I grew up with and have known since I was 11.

"He is at Bradford now, but also played for Wigan, Leeds and Great Britain.

"I went to watch rugby league a few times, but I don't think I am really big enough to have played so it was always football for me."

Griffin has been under orders to provide family and friends with tickets for a game which is important to both teams' survival hopes.

Wigan's 18,285 average crowd is the lowest in the Premier League, but the Stoke captain says that is not a reflection on their football.

He said: "You have to remember that it is a rugby league town which also has the Liverpool and Manchester football clubs 20 minutes away, along with Bolton and Blackburn.

"Wigan have done remarkably. They've not got a large fan base, but it is a small town with the world's most famous rugby league club there.

"It's nice to see the club from where you are born doing well, but having said that, I don't play for Wigan, I play for Stoke.

"You could say I feel like a local in Stoke now because of my time here. Stoke aren't just another club, they mean something to me.

"My children live here and a lot of people think I am from Stoke.

"This is where I live and is probably where I will live for the rest of my life."

The neighbours will be delighted if Griffin can help Stoke to a fourth win in five games tomorrow, but Stoke are taking nothing for granted against a Wigan side who have impressed since Steve Bruce steered them away from relegation trouble last season.

On paper at least, this should be an easier game than last week's home win over Arsenal.

However, Griffin isn't looking that way at a game which puts Stoke up against, among others, the accomplished strikeforce of Emile Heskey and Zaki.

He said: "I would expect a physical game between two teams who play a similar style of football.

"Against Arsenal, you know they will have a lot of the ball, pass it around and try to drag you out of position.

"But Wigan are maybe more direct than Arsenal or Manchester United. It will be a battle and a tough game.

"We have won our last two home games, but we can't afford to take our foot off the accelerator."

Stoke's home record, with 12 points from six games, is actually a point better than Chelsea's. However, Tony Pulis and his players know they have to improve away results which have so far yielded just one point in five games.

Wigan are a more likely relegation rival than Arsenal, but Griffin says Stoke aren't looking at this game as being any more, or less, important than last week's.

However, he says the team have to improve their away record.

He added: "Beating Arsenal was a big win psychologically because we have just beaten one of the top teams in Europe.

"But we are not looking at Wigan differently by seeing it as a so-called 'six-pointer'.

"We will go there and try to win, but if we get a draw I think that would be a good result.

"But the question we have to ask ourselves is, we have done well at home but now can we pick up results away?"