Wigan Athletic 0-1 Bristol City
- Published
Aden Flint's late winner helped Bristol City complete the double over Wigan this season
Aden Flint scored a late winner as Bristol City climbed out of the Championship relegation zone with victory at fellow strugglers Wigan.
Flint prodded in after Wigan failed to clear a corner to lift the Robins above Blackburn on goal difference.
David Perkins went closest for Wigan in the first half when his curling shot from the angle of the box hit the bar.
Fit-again Bristol City striker Tammy Abraham was denied by home keeper Matt Gilks, while Flint also headed wide.
The result, coupled with Blackburn's 2-2 draw at Norwich, leaves City fourth from bottom, while Wigan are now four points adrift of safety with nine games left to play.
In a typically tense bottom-of-the-table encounter, chances were at a premium as Wigan responded to City's stronger start by hitting the bar through Perkins before Omar Bogle forced a fine save from Frank Fielding.
The visiting keeper also tipped a Gabriel Obertan header around the post before Gilks smothered Abraham's effort, on his return from a thigh injury, at the other end.
Bogle had a snap shot saved by Fielding after the break and Josh Brownhill fired inches wide for City.
But Flint finally ended City's run of seven games without a win three minutes from the end when he bundled home from a yard after Abraham had been unable to convert from close range.
Wigan boss Warren Joyce: "It's a cruel way to lose a game. We've looked at the build-up, it's not a corner, and he's in an offside position anyway.
"Having said that, I don't think we played well enough today - although we didn't deserve to lose the game.
"We didn't play with enough quality or enough drive. We didn't win as many individual battles as you'd like to win, and we gave away too many cheap free-kicks, which slows the play down and takes the pressure off them."
Bristol City boss Lee Johnson: "We needed that - the run we've been on hasn't been great, to say the least. I'm just delighted to get the win as we had that bit of luck.
"It probably wasn't a corner [for the Flint goal] but we got it and, over the course of the 90 minutes, we were the better side. We had chances in the first half. It's a massive win and the players are buzzing - it's like a nightclub in that dressing room!
"We've need that winning feeling back, especially today, which had a cup final feeling about it. We've only got nine games left and we needed to win it."