Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan Athletic slipped further into trouble at Bournemouth's temporary home in Dorchester as they went down 2-0 after a lacklustre performance.

This was their sixth defeat of the season, something that didn't happen until the end of February last season when they went down to a 45th minute Jamie Forrester striker against Northampton Town at the Sixfields Stadium.

In fact the previous season saw them only suffer 7 defeats throughout the entire campaign and just goes to show the trouble Paul Jewell and his Wigan side are currently in.

Jewell decided to change things for the game by placing Ged Brannan in a more defensive role with the forgetten Alan McLaughlin making a surprise start at the expense of Paul Dalglish in midfield.

The first chance of the game fell to the home side after only 2 minutes when they earned a free kick with Jason Tindall finding Wade Elliott who attempted to find Garreth O'Connor at the far post but the midfielder couldn't quite get to it.

Wigan then picked up the tempo and began to play football and within a couple of minutes Peter Kennedy hit a powerful shot from well outside the area but saw his effort take a deflection behind for a corner.

Striker Lee McCulloch continued the pressure in the 9th minute when he collected a shot from the right and turned to take a shot at goal but again found it deflected behind for another corner.

The wheels seemed to fall off at that point and following Wigan keeper Stewart Kerr's magnificent save from 22 year old Wade Elliott, who had collected the ball from a James Hayter corner, Wigan soon found themselves behind.

When good work around the area from Bournemouth allowed JAMES HAYTER to drill a low shot past a despairing Kerr after 13 minutes.

Four minutes later an ambitious shot from Derek Holmes almost doubled the Dorset sides' advantage when the Scot, currently on loan from Ross County, attempted a shot from well over 30 yards out which forced Kerr to tip over as it dipped under the corner of the bar.

Just after the half hour mark Simon Haworth was introduced to the action as a replacement for Lee Ashcroft who appeared to have injured his back and just as Wigan's injury problems seemed to be easing.

Stewart Kerr was called into action yet again in the 38th minute when former Coventry City trainee Chukkie Eribenne met a Carl Fletcher cross but the Wigan keeper was in fine form, even if the rest of his team mates were struggling to find theirs, and he saved well to deny the young striker.

Bournemouth had two more half chances just before half time firstly through Wade Elliott whose effort from the edge of the area went sailing wide and then Fletcher headed wide at the far post from a Carl Fletcher free kick out on the left as seconds ticked away.

Paul Jewell made one change to his team during the interval, replacing Alan McLaughlin for Paul Dalglish in an attempt to add a bit of pace to the Wigan attack.

Bournemouth immediately went on the offensive and won a free kick midway into the Wigan half for a foul on James Hayter which also sees Arjan De Zeeuw's name go into the Woking official's book for his troubles.

Wigan's first opportunity of the half, or for a while for that matter, fell to Paul Dalglish in the 52nd minute as he was picked out by Tony Dinning but his shot was blocked well by former Wigan target Bournemouth skipper Eddie Howe.

Dalglish got a second bite of the cherry but in a frantic attempt to level the game the Wigan substitute put the ball over Gareth Stewart's bar.

Bournemouth made their first substution of the game two minutes later with Garreth O'Connor, who had left the field in the first half to have a head wound bandaged, being replaced by former Arsenal trainee Narada.

The game settled down but fired back into life with little over twenty minutes remaining on the clock.

First up was Eribenne who cracked his effort sailing over the bar before the third booking of the night when Karl Broadhurst was cautioned for time wasting when he threw the ball away after Bournemouth were pulled up.

Steve McMillan soon followed him into the notepad when he was penalised for a foul on the troublesome Hayter and then Wigan came the closest they had all night of finding the back of the net when Simon Haworth unleashed a dipping shot on the volley but watches agonisingly as his effort loops just over the corner of the woodwork.

Less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining and Haworth is involved again as Wigan desperately go in search of an equaliser.

His shot on goal is blocked with a free-for-all ensuing in front of goal but the Bournemouth rearguard clear the danger after Kennedy had attempted to put the ball back into the box.

Bournemouth begin to sit back and Peter Kennedy finds the time and space to have a crack from distance but yet again the ball goes sailing over the bar.

With three minutes remaining Dalglish received the ball from a Neil Roberts flick on and his shot forced Bournemouth keeper Stewart into an error.

Narada cleared but was brought down by Neil Roberts and awarded a free kick as time ticks away.

Bournemouth made their second substition of the evening when the bring on Frenchman Willie Huck for Eribenne and the midfielder immediately gets into the thick of things by racing upfield with the ball but his shot on goal didn't match the effort he put into his run as wastes his chance by firing hoplessly wide and high.

As the fourth official signals that four minutes of stoppage time was to be added on Wigan captain Arjan De Zeeuw reverts to a more forward role with Peter Kennedy dropping back and his impact was almost instantaneous when his header brought a rare save from Gareth Stewart but the Dutchman was pulled up for a foul on his way through.

The Cherries then rubbed salt into Wigan's wound when substitute Huck chased after the ball down the right and pulled it back across goal only for Neil Roberts to get a leg to it forcing it to deflect off Stewart Kerr to land in front of WADE ELLIOTT who had the easiest of task to push home from close range.

Another dismal, disappointing night for Wigan and a light at the end of the tunnel, seems a million miles away right now.