Wigan's Heskey wrecks Megson’s plan

The Bolton boss had rested his senior stars in the midweek European defeat at Sporting Lisbon, but this fourth successive Barclays Premier League defeat left them planted firmly in the bottom three.

Megson's first-choice Bolton side did not perform nearly as well as their deputies had done in Portugal, despite Wigan being a man short for all but four minutes after the harsh early dismissal of Jason Koumas.

Now Bolton must go to Manchester United on Wednesday night with first-choice goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen out for the season and a run-in harder on paper than any of their relegation rivals.

Megson said: "We've lost to one of our nearest rivals after resting a lot of players because of the magnitude of this game. I've heard a lot of opinion but the talking has to stop and the doing has to start.

"We've got to wake up — and quickly. If we keep doing what we've done today, we'll stay in the bottom three. No team is too good to go down, on that performance certainly not us."

Steve Bruce, whose Wigan side are now six points clear of their neighbours, said: "We were absolutely terrific. They ran a million miles for each other today. Even with 10 men we were the team trying to win it."

Referee Steve Tanner stunned Bruce by sending off Koumas for his first challenge, one which sent Gary Cahill head over heels but did not appear to be delivered with any malicious intent.

Replays suggested it was slightly over the ball. Cahill was shaken and needed treatment but Wigan's players pleaded with the referee as the Wales midfielder looked genuinely bemused at his red card.

Bruce said: "The referee has indicated he'll have another look. It's the climate we're in after Eduardo's horrific injury. If it had been twofooted and over the top I'd have said red. But it deserved yellow."

Megson, who signed Koumas when West Brom boss, said: "Tackling isn't one of his best qualities. He lunged a bit and the way the rules are now it was probably right."

But it was Bolton who played as if they had 10 men. Wigan's Wilson Palacios conjured what would have qualified as a mean grass-cutter on any other ground, the ball skipping just past a post to scare Ali Al Habsi, in for the season with Jaaskelainen hit by a back injury.

Marlon King scuffed a chance in a crowded goalmouth and Ivan Campo was forced to head off the line from Paul Scharner's far-post header before Wigan got the breakthrough in the 34th minute.

England striker Heskey nipped in front of Gretar Steinsson to thump only his second goal this season into the roof of the net after Mario Melchiot's long throw reached Al Habsi's six-yard box. A niggling duel between Michael Brown and Campo boiled over before halftime, and Bolton captain Kevin Nolan as well as the Spaniard had a few words with the Wigan midfielder as they walked off at the interval.

But the match was played in a decent spirit even as Bolton became more desperate as the second half wore on, with in-form Chris Kirkland and his back four standing up to the pressure.

Kirkland saved well from a closerange Nolan effort and Scharner nearly conceded an own goal as a corner kick pinged across the area, but Wigan sailed closest to the wind after 66 minutes. Brown, on Wigan's goal-line, blocked a stooping Kevin Davies header with his arm but the striker's appeal was waved away by the referee.