Five things we learned from Bristol Rovers (a)

1 What a difference a win makes! Latics have come up just short so often in the last few weeks, there was probably little in the way of expectation when Thelo Aasgaard placed the ball for a free kick heading into the fifth minute of added time. One Beckham-esque delivery later, followed by a clinical finish from the unlikely figure of Scott Wootton, and Latics were finally back in the winners' enclosure. The magic moment was worth two precious points, which lifted Latics two precious places in the table. And boy did we need it!

2 Fine margins pointing up. From potentially heading back home bottom of the table on goal difference, the last-gasp winner now sees Latics only two points behind seventh-bottom Rochdale. It seems the teams in the bottom third of the table are equally incapable of stringing any sort of run together that would see them climb to the safety of mid-table in a short space of time. Hopefully with the Latics side starting to find some continuity and understanding after much January upheaval, that will sort itself out in the coming weeks.

3 The kids are all right! Much of that January recruitment was about bringing in experience and know-how to the youngest, most inexperienced group in the division. But at the Memorial Stadium, with Latics staring down the barrel, it was the youngsters fresh out of the Academy that stood up to be counted when it mattered. Callum Lang was in the right place at the right time to nod in Luke Robinson's cross for his fourth goal in his last five appearances. And with seconds remaining, Thelo Aasgaard took responsibility for the free-kick that would decide the game - and produced his finest moment yet in a Wigan shirt. These lads are not just stars of the future. They're stars of the here and now.

4 An effective barrier. There were also positive signs at the other end of the field, with Latics restricting their opponents to very little in the way of goalscoring opportunities. That was partly due to the back four being unchanged, with the combinations beginning to grow, and Scott Wootton having his best game in a Latics shirt - even before his late winning goal. And credit too goes to Funso Ojo who, in the absence of Chris Merrie, was the only defensive-minded player in the front six, but who formed an effective barrier in front of the back four that laid the platform for the win.

5 Smells like team spirit! There's nothing quite like a last-gasp winning goal, and the celebrations underlined what a huge moment it could potentially be in the shake-up. The sight of Jamie Jones racing fully 80 yards from his goal to get involved with the party in the technical area showed how much the result mattered to each and every one of the players. Questions have (rightly) been asked of the players at various points of the campaign for their performances. But what has never been in doubt is the desire and commitment to the cause - which could as important a factor as anything in the relegation run-in.

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