Agbonlahor returns to haunt Wigan boss again

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Bruce's lasting memory of his final derby before quitting Birmingham is of Villa hero Agbonlahor clearing off his own line, then heading a super late winner at St Andrew's little more than 60 seconds later.

The England Under 21 striker's touch of deja vu, glancing in Villa's decisive second from derby provider Ashley Young's cross, plunged Wigan back into the bottom three after Bruce's impressive mini-revival.

Agbonlahor, whose seventh goal of the campaign keeps resilient Villa on course for a UEFA Cup berth, admitted: "I didn't speak to him at the end - I thought it would be best if I avoided him.

"I'm probably the last person he wanted to see. Our fans enjoyed the fact that he's an ex-Blues manager and we beat him. But after what happened in the derby and now this, it's best if I keep out of his way."

It took Villa the whole first half to adapt to one of those dreadful Wigan days - the rain driven by a swirling wind across a pitch that looked like the rugby league lads had just done a double training session.

When Villa did click, having conceded Titus Bramble's magnificent header before the half-hour, Martin O'Neill's men began to look the part after the manager demanded more bite to counter Wigan's spirit.

Agbonlahor said: "We did it the hard way - it was a difficult pitch and it took us time to adjust but we dug in and got the points. In the second half we showed what we are all about.

"Our away form is great at the moment. Last year these were the kind of matches we were drawing or sometimes losing. We're going away looking for three points rather than trying to hang on for one.

"We seem to be scoring plenty of goals, especially in away games - we've been playing with a lot of freedom and we're full of confidence now when we go on the road.

"We're looking at sixth place and to get into Europe. If we can, it would be a great season for us. We think we're well capable of that but we can't think we've done the job yet.

"There's something good going on at Villa at the moment and hopefully we can keep moving forward."

Villa's desire to play rather than stymie the opposition offers opponents the chance to play, too, of course. Wigan, winners over Newcastle last time out, did their best but needed another set-piece to score.

Boxing Day hero Ryan Taylor launched a 27th-minute corner for centre-half Bramble to head his first Wigan goal since a summer move but his opposite number Curtis Davies managed to trump that.

The young defender, who famously branded himself a 'pub player' after a disastrous Carling Cup debut, marked his first league start for Villa with a 55th-minute headed equaliser that he celebrated with glee.

O'Neill, set to complete an £8million permanent deal for Davies with West Brom in June, said: "I hope he'll be here for the long haul. His performance was about 5,000 times better than against Leicester."

Villa have lost only once away from home since February and even the early loss of striker John Carew to a knee injury could not deny Gareth Barry and his ever-efficient team-mates.

Emile Heskey's presence, on the other hand, remains the key factor in Bruce's hopes of saving Wigan from the drop and the talisman striker is pushing to return at his old club Liverpool on Wednesday.

Bruce, himself still nursing a burst blood vessel in his right eye as the result of a Christmas illness, said: "Having a big enough squad is always a difficulty in a club like ours.

"When Carew went off they put on Luke Moore and after that still had Stiliyan Petrov, but they're a big club. We need to bring in two or three but the loss of big Heskey hasn't helped. He's missed almost the first half of the season. He'll come back in the next week or so and if he stays fit he'll make a big impact for us."

Agbonlahor expects Bruce to complete his rescue act. He said: "I rate him as a manager. He's done well to turn things round here in a short time. They look a decent side. He can keep them up."

WIGAN (4-4-2): Kirkland 6; Melchiot 6, Bramble 7, Scharner 6, Kilbane 6; Valencia 6, Landzaat 6 (Olembe, 80min), Brown 7, Taylor 7; Bent 6, Sibierski 5 (Agahowa, 62, 5). Booked: Bramble.

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Carson 6; Mellberg 7, Davies 8, Laursen 6, Bouma 6; Agbonlahor 7, Barry 7, Reo-Coker 6, Young 6 (Petrov, 90); Maloney 5 (Gardner, 60, 5), Carew 5 (Moore, 11, 6). Booked: Agbonlahor.

Man of the match: Curtis Davies.

Referee: Howard Webb.