Report by John Patrick Heeley

A Peter Kennedy strike early in the second half proved enough to give Wigan their tenth straight victory in the league and move them 12 points clear at the top of Division Two.

Wigan Athletic went 12 points clear at the top of Division Two, a seemingly uncatchable lead, after a Peter Kennedy free kick fired them to victory at Ashton Gate against promotion rivals Bristol City.

The win, only their second ever at Ashton Gate, was thoroughly deserved after a battling display by Paul Jewell's men which saw them cancel out the threat of one the Football League's most prolific goalscoring sides.

Wigan went into the game looking to extend their unbeaten league run to 20 games and more importantly aiming for a 10th successive league win, but it was never going to be a stroll in the park against a Bristol City side who had lost only once in their previous 15 games in the league and hadn't suffered defeat on home soil since the the end of September.

The game could have seen more goals had it not been for a number of fine saves from City keeper Steve Phillips and an inspired performance from the Wigan central defensive partnership of Jason De Vos and Matt Jackson.

The home side started brightly and saw Mickey Bell fire over the bar from a free kick inside the first minute.

City keeper Phillips was on hand to deny both Andy Liddell and Nathan Ellington, who received a 'warm' reception from the home fans because of his Bristol Rovers connection.

Ellington went close in the 5th minute when he latched onto a ball from strike partner Liddell and broke free on goal. However the Bristol City keeper read the situation well and came off his line to save from the 21 year old.

Bell went on one of his trademark runs from defence before finding Peter Beadle in the middle of the Wigan area with a ball from the left wing but the 30 year old could only aim his header straight at John Filan in the Wigan goal.

A Liddell shot was blocked by Aaron Brown as it headed towards goal, at the expense of a corner, after the Wigan forward had got on the end of a Peter Kennedy free kick just before the 15th minute mark.

Minutes later Jason De Vos showed just why he is regarded as one of the best defenders outside of the Premiership when he somehow got back to thwart Scott Murray after the midfielder got the better of Filan and looked odds on for his 19th goal of the season with an empty net staring him in the face but the Canadian cleared the danger with a perfectly timed tackle.

Ellington was unfortunate not to get his name on the scoresheet after 27 minutes when he had Phillips beat from the left side of the area but saw his shot bounce back off the near post.

Danny Wilson was forced into his first substitution in the 28th minute when 18 year old Liam Rosenior, son of Torquay United manager Leroy, replaced the struggling Peter Beadle.

The first half had been awash with excitement, missed opportunities and bereft of any goals but it took less than 4 minutes of the second period for Wigan to open the scoring, a goal which ultimately proved enough to secure all three points.

Ellington beat the challenge of defender Matt Hill and has he bore down on goal the Wigan striker was upended by the back tracking City skipper just outside the home side's penalty area.

Northern Ireland international PETER KENNEDY stepped up to take the resulting free kick and curled a blinder over a motionless City wall, leaving Phillips with little chance as the ball squeezed in by his left hand post.

The home side were then mainly restricted to long range efforts which never looked like troubling Filan and only really gave Wigan cause for concern on a couple of occasions with Rosenior Jnr. hitting a hopeful 30 yarder on the hour mark but fortunately for Wigan his attempt drifted wide of the and Scott Murray tested Filan with a low drive that the Australian did well to deal with before De Vos charged in to clear the danger.

Liddell had seen another of his effort's come to nothing in the 72nd minute when Phillips pulled off an inspired save after the Wigan forward had raced clear inside the area before sending in a shot that looked every inch a certain goal.

The win was only the second ever that Wigan Athletic have registered in the league in front of a crowd exceeding 10,000, adding to the previous one at Deepdale at the start of the 1999/2000 season when referee David Pugh was also given the responsibility to oversee proceedings.

The Wirral official is actually turning out to be something of a lucky charm for Latics as the side continue their winning run in games that he has taken charge of.

Latics' 10th away win of the season also equals their best ever total on their travels in the league, matching the figure reached in the 1986/87 campaign. However nobody would count on them not exceeding that mark, especially with 10 more away games ahead of them before the season's end.