Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan drew for the sixth time on the trot as they extended their unbeaten run to ten games but this draw was that little bit special as they came up against a side that before the game lay in second spot in the table and who would have gone top had they have won.

Skipper Arjan De Zeeuw passed a late fitness test and made a very welcome return to the starting line up.

Simon Haworth also returned after missing the previous weekend's bore draw against Bournemouth but had to make do with a place on the bench with Lee McCulloch retaining his place in attack alongside Andy Liddell.

Peter Kennedy started the game following the return of Paul Cook to Burnley last week after completing his loan spell.

Wigan were very much the underdogs according to the bookmakers but it was the visitors who started the more brightly, threatening their hosts from the outset.

With less than two minutes on the clock Peter Kennedy launched a free kick goalbound which forced Bristol City keeper Mike Stowell into a fine save, tipping the ball onto the bar and over for a corner after Andy Liddell had been brought down on the edge of the area.

City replied minutes later with Aaron Brown releasing dangerman Tony Thorpe in acres of space, the forward found strike partner Lee Peacock in the Wigan area but the big centre forward could only manage to find the side netting with his low shot.

Wigan were quick to respond and Gary Teale put in a low cross into the box after getting the better of his marker but Andy Liddell couldn't quite get on the end of it with the goal beckoning.

Moments later Liddell was in the thick of it again when he got a boot to the ball after Lee McCulloch had nodded down a cross into the area but the shot went straight at Stowell who pushed the ball to safety.

Bristol City opened the scoring totally against the run of play but showed Wigan just how to find the net with a piece of clinical finishing.

19-year-old defender Kevin Amankwaah pushed the ball down the right flank finding Joe Burnell who raced down to the by-line.

With Peter Kennedy charging in to block Burnell managed to pull the ball back and across the middle of the penalty area finding LEE PEACOCK unmarked and the former Manchester City striker hammered the ball home from yards out leaving Filan with no chance in the Wigan goal.

Wigan's heads appeared to drop and Bristol City turned up the tempo and it wasn't long before they increased the deficit.

Scott Murray split the Wigan with his through ball to LEE PEACOCK who sent a low shot just beyond the reach of a diving Filan for Bristol City's and his second of the game, taking his tally for the season to 10.

For Wigan it seemed like a case of 'here we go again' with a landslide expected, but it never came and shortly after the restart they went in search of that elusive goal that would pull them back into the match.

Ged Brannan set up Andy Liddell in the area but they were again denied by the City keeper.

Tony Dinning then had a thunder of a shot deflected marginally past the upright and behind for a corner with the keeper looking to have been beaten.

The Robins almost added a third on the stroke of half time when Tony Thorpe charged down the left and sent in an inswinger from the beeline.

The ball somehow stayed in play and bounced off the crossbar and fortunately for Wigan away to safety.

No substitutions were made by either side during the interval but it was Wigan who came out a very much changed side and after a shaky start to the second half by both sides Wigan got the goal that put them back into the game.

Just before the hour mark Peter Kennedy sent the ball into a crowded City box and with the keeper grounded from an earlier block Wigan managed to scramble the ball over the line by Gary Teale but ultimately off the legs of LEE MCCULLOCH.

It was a scrappy goal but they all count and it did the trick in spurring Latics into believing that they could still get something from this game.

The equaliser came after 78 minutes when substitute JASON DE VOS headed on from a Peter Kennedy cross and with Andy Liddell trying to get a touch on the ball it slipped by Stowell and over the line for the Canadian international's first goal in a Wigan shirt.

Wigan were now rampant and had numerous opportunities to take all three points and were extremely unlucky not to do so.

Firstly Simon Haworth, a 77th minute substitute for Lee McCulloch, had a header from 10 yards out blocked on the line by Matt Hill with the keeper beat and then De Vos rose to connect with another ball into the area only for his header to strike the post and deflect away to safety.

With seconds ticking away Simon Haworth headed a ball from outside the area sending it looping over Stowell and cruelly for Wigan landed on top of the bar and bounced into the keeper's arms and in the dying moments the former Wolves shotstopper pulled off a fine save to thwart Tony Dinning who had raced clear into the area.

Bristol City must have been relieved when the Northampton official blew to bring an end to the proceedings as the longer the game had gone on the more likely it looked that their opponents would grab the winner.

A far more impressive display, especially in the second half, by Wigan but despite keeping their unbeaten record intact it was still another draw and they must get back to winning ways if they have any aspirations of a play off spot.

The point moved Wigan to thirteenth in the table, leapfrogging both Blackpool and Swindon who were involved in the FA Cup, but now lie 7 points adrift of the pack chasing the leaders.

One point of note about Bristol City was the amount of young, home grown talent they had on display with no fewer than 5 players fielded during the game that had come through the ranks at Ashton Gate.