A LATE-SEASON training break in the sunshine of Dubai was supposed to galvanise Manchester City for a surge away from the foot of the table and further progress in the FA Cup, but instead they looked locked into deckchair mode as Wigan Athletic took the opportunity to ease their own relegation fears.

Wigan’s match-winner Caleb Folan had scored against City for Chesterfield earlier this season, but the embarrassment of going out of the League Cup to lower-league opposition will pale into nothing compared with surrendering their Premiership status.

And after a fourth successive league defeat and yet another scoreless effort at an increasingly disenchanted City of Manchester stadium, that is an increasing threat, with Wigan the latest club to clamber above them thanks to Folan’s early goal.

Wigan may not be embued with class, but three wins and a draw in five matches since coming off an eight-match losing streak prove that they have the stomach for a fight, something that could not be said of a City side who were booed off at the end.

With games to come against Fulham and Charlton Athletic, Paul Jewell’s target of four wins, including yesterday’s success, to guarantee safety looks more plausible than Stuart Pearce’s goal of 40 points, as City’s two games in hand over their rivals-in-distress are against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Given City’s chronic shortage of goals on their own pitch, they could ill afford to hand Wigan the advantage in such uncommitted fashion.

It is hard to imagine any Pearce side being sent out anything but fired up, but from the way the dawdled out on to the pitch and then barely raised a gear in the opening half-hour it appeared lost on Pearce’s players that they are involved in a relegation struggle.

Wigan capitalised to a degree, although such was their easy dominance and the number of chances that came their way that they must have been disappointed not to have guaranteed a crucial win by half-time as City’s angry supporters demanded to know of their manager what was going on.

Pearce responded by hauling off Hatem Trabelsi after 33 minutes, by which time Lee McCulloch could have claimed a hat-trick and Folan had opened the scoring, heading in unopposed after Emile Heskey and Richard Dunne had challenged for a Leighton Baines free kick.

Folan had earlier provided the cross for McCulloch to miss badly from close range, while Luis Antonio Valencia also had a goalbound shot blocked before being fouled by Michael Ball inside the penalty area when referee Howard Webb gave only a free kick.

Pearce’s change did finally stir some life into City with Sun Jihai providing welcome energy, but set-pieces remained their sole threat, with Micah Richards going close to an equaliser with a header that was cleared off the line by Emmerson Boyce.

Georgios Samaras, who had looked distinctly uninterested, was presumably one of those to have borne the brunt of Pearce’s dissatisfaction at half-time as he was replaced by recent signing Emile Mpenza, and the suspicion that City could not play as badly again was confirmed when DaMarcus Beasley almost levelled within five minutes of the restart.

A darting run from the winger ended with a well-struck shot that hit Matt Jackson, but then bounced just wide as Mpenza was among those unable to add a decisive touch. The Belgian international, who had been playing his football in Qatar until January, offered City movement and enthusiasm in attack and, when he challenged Boyce, the ball broke to give Beasley another shooting chance, which this time required John Filan to block with his legs.

City huffed and puffed to the end, but, with Filan standing firm in somewhat eccentric style and Wigan defending bravely in front of him, genuine opportunities for at least stopping the rot remained thin on the ground.

And Wigan should have added a second goal to more accurately reflect the game in the final moments when substitute Kevin Kilbane led an almost comical cavalry charge against a nonexistent City defence, but failed to beat Nicky Weaver.

Wigan manager Paul Jewell said: “In the first half-hour, 40 minutes we were brilliant. My only concern is that we were not a couple of goals ahead because we controlled the game.

“It was a massive result but 32 points will not be enough to stay up so we need another couple of massive results.”

City manager Stuart Pearce said: “If we get beaten 1-0 at home, we get booed and people have a moan and rightly so. I have had a moan as well.”

Star man: Lee McCulloch (Wigan)

Player ratings: Manchester City: Weaver 6, Richards 6, Dunne 5, Distin 5, Ball 6 (Sturridge 86min), Trabelsi 3 (Sun Jihai 33min, 6), Barton 5, Ireland 5, Beasley 5, Corradi 4, Samaras 3 (Mpenza ht, 6)

Wigan Athletic: Filan 7, Taylor 6, Boyce 7 (Unsworth 77min), Jackson 7, Baines 6, Valencia 6 (Aghahowa 75min), Landzaat 6, Skoko 6, McCulloch 7, Folan 7, Heskey 7 (Kilbane 55min, 6)

Scorer: Wigan: Folan 18

Referee: H Webb

Attendance: 39,923