Wigan Athletic 2 QPR 1

Josh Windass had put Latics ahead after eight minutes, after a great flick-on by deadline day arrival Clarke, who added the second goal himself 10 minutes into the second period.

Bright Samuels’ deflected effort halved the arrears with 15 minutes to go, ensuring an increasingly nervy climax.

And the visitors almost stole a point right at the death when Toni Leistner smashed against the bar in the closing stages.

But anything other than a home win would have been rough on Paul Cook’s men, who end a tough week - which saw them lose Will Grigg to Sunderland - on a high.

The win also sees Latics open up a seven-point buffer between themselves and the bottom three, ahead of next weekend’s six-pointer at Rotherham.

And if they can match the kind of performance levels they showed for the majority of this encounter, they’ll have every chance of improving the woeful record on the road that’s totally responsible for their lowly league standing.

Too often this year, Latics have paid a high price for not making the most of early dominance, and being unable to respond to the disappointment of going a goal behind.

This time they were ahead on eight minutes - but only after a huge let-off at the other end.

Reece James - starting in central midfield for the first time with Sam Morsy suspended - lost the ball cheaply and Luke Freeman tried his luck from distance.

Jamie Jones fumbled the speculative strike, but did superbly to redeem himself and block the follow-up from Nahki Wells.

And Windass settled any nerves in the home ranks by putting Latics ahead, after Clarke had flicked on a long ball from the goalkeeper.

Jones denied Wells again, after the lively forward had escaped the clutches of Cedric Kipre.

And Latics were almost in again when the sublime skills of Anthony Pilkington released Windass, who either didn’t see or ignored Clarke in the middle before it was too late.

Rangers would probably have been glad to get into the sheds at half-time just the one-goal behind, but Latics did find a second goal within 10 minutes of the restart.

Michael Jacobs’ cross from the left was touched on to Clarke, who finished emphatically to double the lead.

Pilkington was inches away from making it three from a James corner, before Rangers started to throw caution to the wind and commit more men forwards in search of something.

They pulled one back 15 minutes to go when Samuel’s long-range strike took a huge deflection on its way past the unfortunate Jones.

Latics responded by sending on Darron Gibson, Joe Garner and Chey Dunkley to try to inject fresh legs, but the remainder of the game was attack against defence.

Home hearts were in mouths when Leistner’s rocket beat Jones but cannoned against the crossbar.

And Kipre was perhaps fortunate to escape a red card when, after being skinned by Smith, he tripped his opponent right on the edge of the box.

Thankfully for Latics, the referee brandished only yellow, and the wall managed to repel Freeman’s free-kick, to the delight of most inside the stadium.