Wigan Athletic 1 Birmingham City 1: Dunn's arrival gives the Blues hope of salvation

It was not particularly pretty but Birmingham City inched closer to Premiership survival last night when they clawed out a draw here. Inched was the appropriate word because rarely has that proverbial fine line distinguishing success from failure been so clearly measured.

Had John Filan been able to reach out and stop David Dunn's sliding shot 13 minutes from time, Birmingham would have become the first Premiership team to lose at Wigan Athletic's home since Boxing Day. Instead, the goalkeeper's hand got there a fraction late and the visitors secured a point.

How vital that will be remains to be seen but Dunn's goal ensured that Birmingham move two points ahead of West Bromwich Albion and, for today at least, Birmingham's supporters will be wishing Aston Villa well when they meet the Baggies at Villa Park at noon. That is how desperate things are.

They would have looked a lot more dire, too, but for Dunn, who came on as a substitute for Muzzy Izzet after 65 minutes. Wigan had taken the lead through Andreas Johansson and if the score had remained at 1-0, Birmingham's chances of survival would have been damaged. Now they have hope.

Birmingham began buoyed by Portsmouth's inability to take maximum points against Blackburn Rovers, and they dominated the opening phase. John Filan tipped Chris Sutton's shot on the turn round a post and, from another corner, Olivier Tebily was denied only by Jimmy Bullard heading off the line.

Indeed, it was not until the 27th minute that Wigan's attack proved it was not there just for show when Jason Roberts deceived Tebily on the left and curled a shot that Maik Taylor had to leap to his left to push round for a corner.

This at least prodded the home team into something more than a series of inaccurate crosses. Roberts's intelligent pass that allowed Bullard to fire just over from 25 yards in the 39th minute in what was comfortable the most eye-catching move of the first half. But that was a rare piece of artistry on an otherwise drab canvas and the interval was reached with a chorus of boos directed at the referee but might easily have been a critique of the performance.

It was a game screaming for a goal and, thankfully, one arrived within four minutes of the restart. Birmingham' s Matthew Sadler was harshly judged to have fouled Bullard and was doubly punished when Paul Scharner headed the free-kick back at the far post and Johansson arced his header beyond Taylor.

Birmingham almost replied within four minutes when Emile Heskey headed into the side-netting from Sadler's cross, but a harder miss to bear for the visitors arrived after 56 minutes when Jermaine Pennant's pass from the right invited a shot at the far post from Jiri Jarosik. The connection he made with the ball was almost non-existent.

Things were looking bleak for Birmingham but in the 77th minute Heskey sped down the left with the assurance of a seasoned winger and crossed to the far post where Dunn slid in. Filan stretched to claw the ball back but it had crossed the line - by inches. That might be the margin that saves Birmingham.