Wigan Athletic headed into this afternoon's Premier League encounter against Norwich City with the knowledge that a place out of the relegation zone was up for grabs.
While Roberto Martinez's side failed to take a stronghold in the game in the first half, a strike from Arouna Kone was enough to give the Latics all three points.
The Canaries' failure to get anything out of the contest at the DW Stadium means that Chris Hughton and his men sit just four points above the drop.
Read how the action unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute commentary below.
2pmHello all! World Cup qualifiers have dominated the football calendar over the past week, but the Premier League is back, and there's plenty to play for. Right here, we're focusing on Wigan Athletic and Norwich City's campaigns to remain in the top flight.
2.02pmAs I'm sure you know, Wigan are no strangers to relegation battles, and manager Roberto Martinez seems to have the ingredient for survival year-by-year, but as of now the North-West outfit are staring down at the Championship in 18th place.
2.04pmThe visiting side, however, are seven points above the drop zone, but there's no time for complacency from Chris Hughton's men as one bad result could pull them right into the scrap, especially if the teams around them pick up points.
2.06pmI'll halt my ramblings for a moment as the all-important team news has just reached us...
2.07pmWIGAN XI: Robles; Scharner, Alcaraz, Figueroa; Boyce, Beausejour, McCarthy, Gomez; Maloney, McManaman, Kone
Norwich XI: Camp; Martin, Bassong, Turner, Garrido; Johnson, Howson, Snodgrass, Bennett, Hoolahan; Kamara
2.10pmThe big news from the Wigan setup is that youngster Callum McManaman has made the starting lineup. The winger, who I'm sure you know has been in the headlines in recent weeks, has been passed fit following an ankle complaint. The home side start with the same team that defeated Newcastle United 2-1 almost a fortnight ago.
2.13pmAs for Norwich, Hughton has made one change from the side that drew 1-1 with Sunderland, but it's a change that's been forced upon him. Lee Camp will stand in goal in place of Mark Bunn, who was sent off during the league clash against the Black Cats.
2.16pmBoth benches have also been confirmed, and they are as follows:
Wigan: Al-Habsi; Caldwell, Di Santo, Henriquez, McArthur, Espinoza, Stam
Norwich: Steer; Whittaker, Holt, Fox, Becchio, Tierney, Tettey
2.18pmNow, I'm going to revert back to someone I alluded to earlier and that is Wigan's McManaman. The 21-year-old has been in the headlines over the last week or so, unfortunately not for good reasons...
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
2.23pmMcManaman was heavily criticised for this tackle on Newcastle's Massadio Haidara...
2.24pmThe furore over the incident is that the tackle wasn't spotted by referee Mark Halsey, so McManaman escaped punishment, while Haidara was sent to hospital with severe bruising. To anger Newcastle fans even more, the FA decided against taking retrospective action against the Wigan player.
2.26pmYou could argue that the Latics didn't particularly help themselves either when Martinez claimed that it was a fair challenge and Wigan chairman Dave Whelan said that McManaman had got the ball.
Whelan told BBC Radio Five Live: "The ball was there. Young McManaman went in for the ball and got the ball as clean as a whistle, but in the follow through they collided. The referee saw it all, he had clear view on that."
2.30pmThey weren't the only two to get involved! Newcastle coach John Carver and his Wigan counterpart Graham Barrow were fined for expressing their views on the issue on the touchline. So as you can see, the incident has ruffled a few feathers!
2.32pmIn yesterday's pre-match press conference Martinez was quick to give his backing to McManaman over fears that the young man could be starting to get a negative reputation.
The Spaniard told reporters: "I think we've been going on and on too much about it. I think it was a football incident. I think we've been talking too much about it and it's a bit unfair on a young man to have to suffer that."
2.34pmSo, as you can imagine, all eyes will be on McManaman this afternoon, and I'm sure Martinez is hoping that the 21-year-old can handle the pressure in order to help his side grab three vital points.
2.35pmRight, enough about that, let's switch our attention to Norwich. After all, Wigan aren't playing alone this afternoon! The Canaries don't have much hope to cling on to with regards to their away form. They've only snatched one victory on the road this season, and they've been struggling with goals.
2.38pmThis is a complete contrast to last season as Grant Holt was tipped for an England call-up because he was firing on all cylinders, but this season, the 31-year-old has only managed five. He's also starting on the bench for today's match.
2.40pmKeeping Premier League status is important in itself, but Norwich will want to show off their new signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel next season against teams in the top flight. The Canaries scored a major coup by snapping up the 24-year-old, who will arrive at Carrow Road in the summer on a four-year deal.
2.44pmRight, back to matters at hand! Wigan have been here before so they'll feel confident that they can snatch all three points to move out of the bottom three. For Norwich, while they're seven points clear at the moment, fears of relegation will creep in if they lose at the DW today.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
2.46pmPredictions? For me, I can see Wigan getting all three points today, but they may only just edge it if Norwich are able to find the back of the net by starting on the front foot. We shall see how both teams come out in around 10 minutes or so!
2.50pmWhile Norwich may be feeling less than enthused by their away record, Wes Hoolahan, who starts today, has scored in each of his side's three league fixtures against Wigan. Good omen?
2.54pmWe have around five minutes to go until kickoff. Until then, let me inform you that Manchester United are now 18 points clear at the top of the table following a 1-0 win over Sunderland in today's early kickoff. Manchester City are yet to play, but it's difficult to see any other team lift the title this season.
2.57pmAnyway, back to matters at hand at the DW Stadium. The teams are lined up on the field and commencing the obligatory handshakes before kickoff.
0 minGame on! Norwich get us underway, playing from right to left.
3 minBoth sides are trying to find their feet in these early stages but Wigan has the first opportunity to break the deadlock through a surging run down the left from Beausejour. He crosses low into the box but Kone is unable to reach it and it gets cleared for a corner, which comes to nothing.
4 minJohnson plays Garrido out wide for Norwich. He plays it into the feet of Snodgrass, who in turn switches the play out to the right with a long ball to Bennott, but the ball drifts out of play.
4 minNorwich try to play in Kamara with a long-ball effort, which forces Scharner to drop back, but Kamara is flagged offside and the away side's attack is halted.
6 minNorwich are working the ball around nicely in midfield, but Wigan have remained compact in defence. Neither side have had a shot on goal.
8 minBOOKING! Scharner is the victim of the first yellow card of the game for bringing down Snodgrass, who burst forward from a well-placed ball into the channel. It looks like it was only a slight touch from the defender.
9 minNorwich play the free kick short to Bennett, who tries to swerve his shot towards goal, but the ball gets a nick on it from Wigan's line and goes out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
10 minIt's a good spell from the visitors, but Wigan have the chance to break through McCarthy, who manages to wriggle away from his opponent to hit the ball up towards Kone, but Camp comes off his line early to gather the ball.
12 minIt's early days, but there's a good tempo to this game so far. Wigan look threatening on the attack, but Norwich have shown that they can cause trouble. Meanwhile, McManaman has been getting a few boos from travelling Norwich fans when he comes into contact with the ball.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
14 minIt's slow build-up play from Wigan as they struggle to find the pass through, which eventually punishes them as Norwich break through Hoolahan, who passes out wide to Snodgrass, but his cross fails to find another Norwich shirt in the box.
15 minQuite unfortunate for McManaman there. He manages to swivel away from Garrido, who goes to ground and wins a free kick from the linesman, but replays show that McManaman was hard-done by. The youngster is still getting some boos...
17 minBennett's corner swings towards the near post but it gets pushed out from the Wigan defence. Bassong latches onto the ball on the right corner of the penalty area. He moves inside to take a shot but it goes well wide. An opportunity missed.
19 minScharner finds Beausejour out wide, who leaves the ball to Maloney, who waits for the overlapping Gomez to cross into the box. Wigan win a corner but they fail to make the most of it. Not one shot on target as yet!
20 minNorwich break again through Snodgrass, who finds Bennett. He moves inside to take a shot from outside of the area but he cuts it across and fails to trouble Robles.
21 minA lovely pass from Maloney, but once again Norwich snuff the ball out. Maloney picks it up from just outside of the area and times his pass perfectly searching for the oncoming Kone, but he fails to get there in time to get a shot on goal.
23 minA great turn from Hoolahan wins Norwich a free kick in a dangerous position. He manages to suck McCarthy in to make the tackle on his second touch. No complaints from the home side.
24 minUnfortunately for Norwich, the free kick is wasted as the ball heads straight into Kone. Both teams have had chances but neither side have taken a stronghold on this game as we near the 25-minute mark.
25 minBoth sides have lost the ball in midfield within the last minute! Norwich end up snatching the play back in defence and launch the ball up-field searching for Bennett, but he's ruled offside.
26 minCHANCE! The first real chance of the game comes from Wigan. Maloney plays in Boyce, who then returns the pass to his teammate. Maloney pulls the ball back just outside the area for Kone, who tries to slide it past the keeper but it just drifts wide of the left-hand post.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
28 minKone drives down the left and goes one-on-one with Bassong, but he cuts it back early to Maloney but it's misplaced and Norwich regain possession.
30 minWigan look to be finding their stride now. McManaman retrieves the ball down the right-hand side, but Norwich are forced to double up on the winger, who drives to the line to get a cross in, but he's pushed too far out and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
31 minSAVE! Robles makes the first save of the encounter courtesy of a header from Kamara. He gathers the ball easily after diving to his left, but even if Kamara had hit the back of the net, he had already been ruled offside.
33 minCHANCE! Dear oh dear McManaman. Beausejour once again has space to drive down the left, and he gets his cross in to find McManaman in the box, but he fluffs his lines and the ball dribbles behind him.
34 minScharner is furious with Alcaraz as Snodgrass manages to flick on to Kamara, who looks to be one-on-one with the keeper, but Scharner manages to get a foot in the way to clear the danger.
35 minCHANCE! Minutes later, Kone has another opportunity to find the back of the net as he tries a low shot into the left-hand corner, but Camp is able to block the effort.
37 minKone's got his shooting boots on! He manages to skip past two players to drive into the middle of the area, but his shot gets deflected for a corner, which comes to nothing.
38 minGarrido has acres of space on the left to get a brilliant cross into the box with Kamara being the target, but Alcarez gets a good defensive header to clear the danger.
40 minGomez receives the ball just outside of the area and passes out wide to Beausejour, who crosses high into the box but it gets knocked out for a corner, which is cleared with ease by Norwich.
42 minIt's end to end at the moment! Kamara fails to latch onto a cross into the box which allows Wigan to break. Kone picks the ball up on the corner of the area. He drives past a Norwich shirt to take a shot at the near post, but it flies over the net.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
44 minKamara needs some treatment from Wigan's medical staff, but he gets to his feet quite swiftly and is moving well.
45 minThe fourth official indicates one minute of added time but I can't imagine either side are going to break the deadlock before half time.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Wigan 0-0 Norwich
3.49pmWell, that's not the most thrilling 45 minutes of football I've ever witnessed. It's goalless at the break, and you'd have to argue that it is no more that both sides deserve. The game started off with a high tempo, but it began to turn scrappy and disjointed as both sides gave the ball away cheaply on occasion.
3.50pmStatistically, it's rather tight if you consider the efforts on goal as Wigan have had just two on target, while Norwich have had three. However, considering that the Latics are in desperate need of points in order to move out of the relegation zone, you would have expected more penetration from the home side.
3.52pmTheir build-up play has been too slow, which at times, has allowed Norwich to snatch possession and counter-attack. Luckily for them, the Canaries have failed to make the most of their opportunities on the break.
3.53pmWhile there has been a slight lack of urgency from Wigan, Maloney has been part of almost every attack Wigan have created and Norwich have failed to mark Beausejour out of the game, as he has constantly been allowed space down the left-hand side.
3.55pmFor Norwich, they've had some decent spells during the opening half, but Robles has been rarely troubled in this game so far.
3.58pmDespite Wigan's failure to find the breakthrough, I predict that they're more likely to get the first goal over Norwich in this second half. Kone has had a number of opportunities, and it seems as though McManaman has shaken off last week's criticism as he's looked composed on the ball throughout.
4.01pmSo, how do we see it finishing? Wigan will have to come out on the frontfoot in order to please the home crowd otherwise fears of relegation will increase.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
45 minAnd we're off! Wigan get is underway in the second half.
45 minNorwich get the first attack of this second 45. Snodgrass jinks past two Wigan shirts to slide the ball into the feet of Hoolahan, whose pass to Kamara is misplaced and Robles is able to gather.
47 minMartin is furious for giving away a corner following a run alongside Maloney, and he seems to have a point, as the ball appears to bounce off the Wigan player before going behind the line. Fortunately for Norwich, the corner is easily cleared.
49 minGomez gets penalised for a high foot from Bennett, but in reality, there's not much that Gomez can do in that situation, you have to go for it.
50 minNorwich lose the ball early, which allows Wigan to attack through Maloney once again. He slides the ball into the path of Beausejour, who manages to get a high cross into the box, but Camp isn't tested and Norwich recover.
52 minMartin's getting frustrated again. He clearly pushes Beausejour in the back right below the eyes of both Martinez and Hughton. Referee Howard Webb gives Wigan the free kick.
54 minBOOKING! Bennett gets cautioned from Webb for bringing down McCarthy, who launches a surging run from midfield, by tackling from behind. The Norwich man can have no complaints for that.
55 minA lovely floating ball from Kone out wide to McManaman, who likes to go one-on-one in the area, but Garrido gets the better of him to knock the ball out for a corner, which leads to another corner kick for the home side.
56 minCHANCE! The corner is taken short by Maloney, who knocks the ball to Beausejour, who returns it to his teammate for a shot at goal. Maloney drives inside the area and tries to hammer it into the net with his right foot but it goes far wide.
57 minMISS! A nice spell from Norwich as Johnson latches onto a loose ball. He drives towards the box and fires his shot towards the bottom right-hand corner, but it just drifts wide.
59 minSo much for my theory that Wigan would come out firing on all cylinders! The home side are continuing with a slow approach to their attacks, and it's not doing them any favours. While Norwich haven't posed a huge threat, I wouldn't count them out on causing an upset here.
60 minI don't really understand what was going through Beausejour's mind there! Wigan were given a throw-in in Norwich's half but it's a foul throw and a silly way to give away possession.
61 minAt there other end, Hoolahan manages to snatch the ball from Wigan to play in Snodgrass down the left-hand side. He manages to jink past Scharner, who hasn't had his best game, but nobody is there to see through the attack.
62 minThe game's getting very stretched now as both sides are giving the ball away cheaply. Wigan are on the attack through McManaman down the right. The winger cuts inside to lay the ball off to Gomez, whose effort goes soaring into the crowd.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
64 minVery close for Norwich! The ball gets lofted into the box, and while Alcaraz should have headed clear, he misses the ball and Kamara gets the chance to fire a low header towards goal, but there's not enough power on it to cause trouble.
65 minThe home crowd are urging their team on following a good spell, but it's wasted as Figueroa launches a shot from far out, which flies high over the bar.
66 minSUBSTITUTION As expected, McArthur has made his way onto the field for Wigan, but at the expense of McManaman, who has been one of the better players on the field for the home side today. However, the change could be down to an ankle complaint.
68 minI'll be surprised if we don't see Holt make an appearance in this second half. Norwich have created opportunities in the final third but have struggled to make direct chances.
69 minCHANCE! A towering header from Alcaraz could have given Wigan the breakthrough if it wasn't for Howson, who stood his ground on the post to kick the ball away from danger.
70 minSome poor defending from Wigan gives Snodgrass the chance to latch onto a loose ball in the final third but his run gets snuffed out.
71 minSome pushing and shoving in the penalty box allows Wigan some breathing space after a strong spell from Norwich, who looked to Kamara to connect his head with the ball but the whistle goes for tussling in the area.
72 minWigan push players forward but the attack breaks down through Figueroa, who hooks the ball into the box with no specific target in mind and Martin is able to pick the ball up.
74 minGarrido has a great opportunity of picking somebody out in the box after finding acres of space on the left, but a poor first touch allows Alcaraz to tackle and win the ball.
75 minAt the other end, Maloney jinks past two Norwich shirts with some lovely footwork in the penalty area but he falls to his feet following a tackle from Turner. Shouts emerge from the crowd for a penalty, but it was a good challenge from Turner and Webb makes the right decision to wave it off.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
76 minCHANCE! McCarthy was inches away from giving Wigan the lead. He cuts inside to move to ball onto his favoured right foot and launches a shot towards Camp, whose forced to dive to the side, but the ball drifts out wide.
77 minCHANCE! How did Wigan not score!? Beausejour cuts the ball back into the penalty area from the line to find the feet of Gomez, whose shot gets blocked and falls to the feet of Maloney, whose unable to get his first touch right and the chance goes missing.
79 minSUBSTITUTION Could Grant Holt upset Wigan's day? The frontman has come on for Kamara as Norwich make their first change.
80 minGOAL! Wigan 1-0 Norwich (Kone)
80 minFinally, we have the first goal of the game and Wigan are the ones to snatch it! Kone picks up a lovely ball from the halfway line. He adjusts himself to launch a right-footed shot to hammer the ball into the back of the net. Camp should have probably done better there, but Wigan won't be complaining! They're on course to move out of the drop zone.
83 minGomez wins the ball in midfield to release Kone, who surges to the penalty area, but he gets crowded out and loses possession. The frontman had McCarthy on his right, but he fails to spot him and the chance goes missing.
84 minSUBSTITUTION A double change for Norwich as Tettey and Becchio come on for Howson and Hoolahan.
86 minBOOKING! A fired up Holt gets cautioned for angrily reacting to a foul called against him by the linesman. A silly booking to give away from Holt's point of view.
87 minBeausejour gets an early pass from Maloney as he drives down the left-hand side to whip a cross in, but he fails to do so and the ball flies into the terraces.
88 minMcArthur eyes Kone up front as he hits the pass with his right foot, but Turner is able to intercept and clear the danger.
Sponsored:*Live Text Commentary Sponsored by Bet365* Get up to £200 in free bets for all football fixtures this Easter weekend.
90 minThe fourth official indicates three minutes of added time. Can Wigan hold on?
90+1 minTurner tries to flick the header on but he fouls Scharner in the process to end Norwich's attack.
90+2 minSUBSTITUTION Wigan try to run the clock down by taking off goalscorer Kone to bring on Franco Di Santo.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Wigan 1-0 Norwich
4.52pmWell, there we have it. Wigan have seen the game through to take maximum points and move out of the bottom three. It wasn't the most attractive performance from Martinez's men, but they got the job done and are on course for Premier League survival.
4.53pmFor Norwich, they remain 14th in the league table and sit just four points away from the relegation zone. As we can see, one bad result can pull Norwich into the fight to avoid the drop. They have just seven games to retain their status in the top flight.
5pmThanks for joining me this afternoon, I hoped you enjoyed it! Of course, you can catch up with the rest of today's Premier League results on our page here. Stick around on Sports Mole for all the latest reaction from today's fixtures. Enjoy!
