WIGAN ATHLETIC 2, Wanderers 1: No-one can speculate with any confidence, what would have happened had Wanderers been successful in their efforts to coax Henri Camara to the Reebok 15 months ago.

Nevertheless, it is fair to assume that, had he not preferred to join Celtic on loan from Wolves instead of making a permanent move to Bolton, certain things might never have materialised.

For instance, had Sam Allardyce got Camara, his first choice Senegal striker, his second - El-Hadji Diouf - would probably never have worn a Bolton shirt. And, considering he was the Whites' top Premiership scorer last season, they might not have finished as high as sixth, in which case there would have been no UEFA Cup adventure.

We will never know how Wanderers would have fared with Camara leading the attack, but the thought must have crossed Allardyce's mind at the JJB Stadium yesterday, when the £3 million striker burst his bubble with the kind of performance that put him top of his transfer wish list.

"We know all about him, of course," the Bolton boss said. "He's got terrific pace and he causes people lots of problems. He hasn't really got the goalscoring record you would like but he causes problems and plays well with Jason Roberts."

Camara did need a helping hand - a head to be precise - but it was from Bruno N'Gotty rather than Roberts, as he scored Wigan's first then helped set up the second for Lee McCulloch.

The defeat cost Wanderers a chance to go second in the Premiership and the mouth-watering prospect of their next match, at Chelsea in a fortnight, being the heavyweight contest of the day - the Champions against the undisputed number one contenders.

"That was mentioned, of course it was," Gary Speed said, reflecting on a chance missed.

"We wanted to go to Chelsea, first against second. That was the plan. Hopefully we can still go down there and take some points from them."

Unfortunately, they will go to London smarting from a defeat that not only highlighted deficiencies in the two key areas of defence and attack but also the shortcomings of a squad that could soon start to wilt under the weight of expectation and the pressure of a heavy domestic and European workload.

That is not to say that last Thursday's UEFA Cup tie in Bulgaria had any bearing on this performance. Wanderers returned from their triumph over Lokomotiv Plovdiv with their confidence high and knowing they could have done nothing more to prepare for a Premiership game.

After making seven changes for the midweek game, Allardyce made seven more to counter the fatigue factor that has been central to his strategy for dealing with the demands placed on him by a European campaign, which can only get tougher with at least four more games on the horizon.

No, their failings at Wigan were more fundamental than physiological. They paid for making mistakes at the back and missing chances up front.

No one could legislate for N'Gotty making such an unforced error as he did when he headed Jimmy Bullard's cross straight down at Camara's feet, leaving the Wigan hit man to place the easiest of chips over the stranded Jussi Jaaskelainen.

The goal, three minutes into the second half, was a double whammy for Wanderers with Jay Jay Okocha injuring himself in the chase to halt Camara's initial surge.

When Wigan doubled their lead 12 minutes later - McCulloch atoning for a couple of fluffed first half efforts to supply a powerful finish to quick counter attack - there seemed to be no way back for Wanderers.

That they finished the stronger side and created a succession of chances in addition to the one Radhi Jaidi converted in the 68th minute from a Stelios cross, rules out any suggestion that tiredness played a part.

"It was the same story as the Everton game," Jaaskelainen said, recalling this season's only other defeat.

"We had great chances but didn't put them in and the most disappointing thing was that we didn't work the goalkeeper. I don't remember us attacking as well as this away from home this season, yet their keeper didn't have to make a save.

"We went a bit sloppy on a couple of occasions and they scored, but we needed to make more of our chances. It's not as though they were outside the box either, they were just five or six yards out and you expect to get them on target."

Diouf, sent on as a substitute to try to rescue the point Allardyce would have been happy to take home, was the chief squanderer, missing the target hopelessly with a free header at the back post.

Fellow subs, Stelios and Jared Borgetti, got in each other's way and Jaidi, so accurate with his first header, sadly got his sights out of line with a second attempt in injury time.

However, no one was playing the blame game at the end with the most supportive words coming from the evergreen Speed, who headed off any criticism of N'Gotty by putting the Frenchman's blunder into context.

"I've just told him he hasn't made a mistake for three years," he said. "You can't put too much of that on Bruno, he's been fantastic for Bolton Wanderers.

"One mistake in three years is not bad but we've got punished for it."

Wigan, who have taken 13 points from their last five games, took great satisfaction from this, their fourth Premiership win against local rivals they last met 12 years ago in more humble surroundings and less glamorous circumstances.

Wanderers beat the Latics 2-0 at Springfield Park in April 1993 in the old Third Division - a key result that helped Bruce Rioch's team win promotion to the second tier of English football while Bryan Hamilton's men were relegated to the bottom.

Tony Kelly, who played in that Bolton team against his former club, would have preferred to see the two teams dearest to his heart, share these particular spoils.

"I think 2-2 would have been a fair result," said the journeyman midfielder who celebrated his 41st birthday at the weekend.

"But I'm just so proud to see where my two old clubs have ended up. I'd never have thought when I was playing for them that they'd both be in the Premiership.

"And, what's more, they deserve to be there."

Like Wanderers before them, Wigan have earned the right to play in the top flight and they have shown with their performances, including yesterday's, that they do not intend to be one-season wonders.

Allardyce applauded Paul Jewell and his Wigan wonders. "Paul's done great by getting his points in the bag in the early part of the Premiership," he said. "They will give him a bit of a cushion when injuries and suspensions kick in.

"These three points will be a massive bonus for Wigan staying in the Premiership because the rest, below them are starting to play catch-up.

"It's just been a bitter blow for us.

"We've let ourselves down for the first time this season at both ends and it's cost us dear."