The Latics were behind at half-time in Tuesday night's League One clash and deservedly so, but in a complete turnaround in momentum they claimed a vital three points thanks to goals by Dean Furman and James Tarkowski.
The result ensured they leapfrogged Colchester in the table to cap a memorable four days for the Boundary Park side after their 2-2 draw with Everton on Saturday.
Philliskirk said: "We were a little bit lacklustre first half - we were second best and the lads looked a little tired.
"Fortunately, we started the second half very well, but the players have got a bit of ownership at the moment and I challenged them to put into practice what they were saying.
"Actions speak louder than words and I was saying 'it's alright saying it lads, get your fingers out and do something about it'.
"And fair play to them, I thought in the second half we controlled the game for half an hour and went 2-1 up.
"It was a little bit hairy-scary at the end and they put us under a bit of pressure, which is understandable because the boys were a bit tired, but I cannot praise the players enough.
"Whether me being calm and concise about things is rubbing off on the players I don't know, but hopefully it is."
