With Nicky Barmby wearing the captain's armband, City put in a spirited 90 minute shift and ease three points from the grasp of pretty but ineffectual Wigan Athletic.

Report by Ed Bacon.

Yes!

After weeks of woe, with the predatory national media and a good proportion of City fans engaged in a mutually enforcing bout of `Brown must go', and speculation swirling around concerning the club's finances and possible takeovers, at last we won a game of football.

I say at last, but of course we had actually won the last but one Premier League game at the KC. Easy to forget that, in the recent witless `club in crisis' hoo-hah.

Making it 2 wins out of 4 at home in the league this season, in front of the KC's lowest ever Premier League attendance, were:

Myhill
McShane Sonko Kilbane Dawson
Zayatte
Barmby Marney Geovanni Hunt
Vennegoor of Hesselink

Other team news worthy of note was the elevation of young Tom Cairney to the bench. Oh, and the return to the KC of referee Mark Clattenburg – one of the few refs to have actually been suspended himself, and now looking to re-establish his former reputation as one of the country's leading officials.

We kicked off in swirling wind, plastic bags and leaves blowing around the pitch, tackles flying in from Barmby and Geovanni, and a raucous home ground getting behind the team and the manager from the off.

City are up for it, attacking the North Stand. Within seconds we're in the Wigan area, the ball is whipped over to Barmby haring in at the far post, it's heading goalwards until stopped by a Wigan hand.

Clear penalty, especially when seen from the East Stand.

Clattenburg, badly positioned to see, disagrees. Perhaps he thinks a minute into a Premier League game is too early to give a penalty, whatever the laws may say. No Jack Taylor he.

City continue to have the better of the early play, although initial worries about whether Vennegoor of Hesselink is suited to a lone role up front are heightened when twice in the first five minutes the ball is hit long to him, he gets up superbly to win the header against a tall Wigan defence, and nods it on into the space beyond him. Where no one is.

On 8 minutes Dean Marney, still yet to score a Premier League goal for Hull City, takes a shot from the edge of the box, but too close to Kirkland in the Wigan goal. A couple of minutes later, Stephen Hunt hits a crossfield ball from the left to Barmby, who shoots just wide of goal. City re-group, and another long ball is punted up to Big Jan, standing up front on his own again, as lonely as a ballroom dancer with halitosis.

So we've made a lively start, and it's once again that `back to basics' thing that Phil Brown does every now and again when City are going through a bad patch. Remember his first home game in charge, elevated to the hot seat after Phil Parkinson was sacked? When more people than were there today saw us tear into Cardiff City in a high-tempo performance big on commitment, chasing down opponents, and so on? Well, it was a bit like that, but for now at least, lacking the goals.

And as happens in such performances, after a while we fade a bit and the oppo get into it a bit. Wigan win a corner on the quarter hour, which Myhill punches to Melchiot unmarked on the edge of the area, only for the ex-Chelsea man to shoot poorly over the bar.

City respond with a neat period of play. Geovanni sets Hunt free down the left – a beautiful piece of skill, only for Hunt to overrun the ball. But when Wigan clear it, Zayatte collects and whips the ball from near the left touchline just in the Wigan half across towards the right hand side of their penalty area … and just a little too long for speedy young winger, Nicky Barmby to latch on to.

Zayatte was picked to sit in front of the back four and protect them, but as the game goes on he's more marauding than holding.

Indisciplined? Perhaps, but the crowd likes what they're seeing.

And so do Wigan, on 19 minutes, when Emmerson Boyce is given far too much time to shoot in front of our back four, as City men watch him from afar. It's not a bad effort either, requiring two takes before Myhill safely pouches it. Immediately, City respond again, through Geovanni, cutting in from the left in what's known as his Emirates shooting position, and curling a shot towards Kirkland's goal which dips sharply, but a little too late, before falling wide.

Then Hunt has another run down the left, from where most of our attacking is coming. His cross is cleared out to Geovanni whose ball back in finds the head of Vennegoor of Hesselink. Jan heads well but narrowly – very narrowly – wide.

On the half hour the excellent Andy Dawson is clattered in a very late tackle by N'Zogbia. It looks bad for a minute, but Dawson senior is made of teak, unlike his balsa brother in the Spurs medical room. He gets up and plays on.

As half time draws near, the game gets scrappier. Wigan win a corner, when Myhill misjudges a hopeful punt, caught by a sudden gust of wind, and has to palm it out of play. But the corner is tidily cleared by Kilbane, who I thought had a calm and effective game at centre back.

Just before the break, there's a hopeful sign, as Myhill clears the ball upfield to targetman Big Jan. He nods on again, but this time both Hunt and Barmby are ahead of him, waiting for the ball. Nothing came of it, but at least they were there.

Into the second half, and the first five minutes or so are as scrappy as the last minutes before the break.

For once though we're attacking down our right. This half that's towards the South Stand. A Hunt corner on 50 is easily cleared, but we keep the pressure on with two throw-ins in quick succession. Both of them from Sonko, who has a throw that can be justly described as long-ish. Length is not matched by the speed though, as unlike those of his ex-team-mate Delap, Sonko's throws loop slowly forward.

On 53 Marney wins the ball in midfield and surges forward, and shoots. Did I mention that he's never scored a Premier League goal for City? He still hasn't.

Wigan immediately respond through the speedy N'Zogbia who gets into the City area and turns in a low cross. A Wigan boot on the end of it would have put us behind, but Myhill grabs the ball alertly.

On 59 City win a corner on our left. Geovanni has been taking corners from the left in the first half, but not this one. It's been decided – by Phil Brown at half time, or by the players on the pitch, I don't know – that Marney will have a go.

The corner is expertly whipped to the near post, where Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink gets in front of his marker and with power and accuracy heads it into the net.

1-0

Big Jan is mobbed by his team-mates. Let's hope this is the first of many from our Dutch internationalist. As play resumes, the chants of `Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink' ring round the KC. If you weren't there, try working out the tune to that one …

On 64 minutes, Brown makes a substitution. Captain Nick Barmby is replaced by Ghilas.

Speculation is rife over who will take the captain's armband from Nick. It needs to be someone who can command respect, pull the team together, and be a presence on the pitch. Who can it be? After what seems like seconds of uncertainty, Barmby hands the armband to Geovanni, on the grounds that he was nearest to him.

And play resumes.

Not the for the first time, on 67 minutes, City's in-your-face attitude in the middle of the park results in us taking the ball off the boot of Wigan's players, who seem indolent in comparison. This time it's Zayatte. Once again he marauds forward at speed towards and into the Wigan penalty area. Zayatte looks up and chips the ball delightfully to Geovanni arriving unmarked in the middle. Geovanni volleys in from 6 yards out. The Brazilian internationalist scored it, but it's Zayatte who made it.

2-0

Now these are heady times. When was the last time we were 2 goals ahead in the league? October last year, at West Brom? When Geovanni and Zayatte were likewise key to victory.

Wigan, who had occasionally looked dangerous but never looked like a decent team, now seem demoralised. How can you smash Chelsea one week and then go two down to Hull the next? They were no doubt asking themselves.

Buoyed up City continue to seize the ball from the oppo in the midfield, with Marney prominent, twice in quick succession breaking forward. The second of these ended in a shot which Kirkland saved. One day, Dean, you'll score for us again.

I glance at the scoreboard clock. Although there's an end of game feel with City comfortably in the lead, there's still 15 minutes to go. Vennegoor of Hesselink meets a Myhill punt on the right wing and heads it on to Ghilas – now there's a combination I'd like to see more of.

On 80 City yet again intercept sloppy Wigan passing in the middle of the park, this time Geovanni going on a run that comes to little. Time to shore up the midfield? Phil Brown thinks so and takes off Zayatte to replace him with a holding midfield who will simply hold, namely Seyi Olofinjana. Wigan respond with a substitution of their own, taking off N'Zogbia, who has just amused the whole stadium by falling over whilst attempting to cross the ball, and replacing him with Chelsea loanee, Scott Sinclair.

Ah, Sinclair. The man whose first Chelsea goal came at this very stadium in the Carling Cup a few years back. And a superb strike it was too. I'm a little nervous to see him back on our pitch.

With 5 minutes of normal time to go a decent City break is stopped by what looks like incompetent linesmanship. Big Jan is offside as the ball is played to him, but he leaves the ball for Ghilas coming from what looks like an onside position. He would have been through on goal had the lino not flagged.

So Wigan get a freekick and attack with a little more energy than of late. A decent low shot is saved by Myhill but it bounces out. With our keeper on the ground, the goal is open and a blue and white shirt gets there before the covering defenders to score.

2-1

And it's Scott Sinclair who's got it. Game on.

88 minutes. Wigan attack. Shot over bar.

Myhill's goal kick goes to touch. Wigan attack. McShane boots it clear. Wigan attack. McShane clears again, this time to touch.

On 90 the added time board is raised to show 5 minutes.

5 minutes! The game has changed now. We're camped in our half, in fact mostly in the last quarter of the pitch, as Wigan look for an equaliser.

Suddenly their number 9, Jason Scotland, has the ball on our penalty spot. But he can't get it out from under his feet, and Myhill dives onto it. Myhill then kicks upfield with injudicious haste. Hold onto it, man! Tie a bootlace, clutch your head, anything.

Better still. Let's make a substitution. Phil Brown agrees and Big Jan, to a standing ovation, is replaced by Steven Mouyokolo. At the same time Wigan bring on ex-City man Marlon King. He is roundly abused by much of the home support. I remind myself that the last that happened, he scored against us, in the dying minutes at Middlesbrough in April.

Two and a half minutes to go. Wigan attack. Hunt clears. Wigan attack.

Suddenly a blue and white figure is tackled in the box and goes tumbling. Clattenburg blows his whistle. Penalty? No. `Consistency Clattenburg' is bookending this game with two non-penalty awards, and has deemed Wigan's Gomez to have dived.

I like Clattenburg now. He doesn't shirk the big calls. There's an air of the great Jack Taylor about him if you ask me.

After that, time for one more Wigan attack, but we breathe more easily. No sign of a Marlon King revenge strike, and when the final whistle goes there's a sense, yes, of relief, but also that we deserved the win.

And so the slide is halted, against what looked to be a limited Wigan, by a hard-working City team prepared to put a committed shift in.

We played Wigan early season at the KC last year, and were thumped out of sight 0-5. This year, with only 5 players remaining from the starting eleven that took that beating, we emerged victorious.

A better squad than last season? You decide. Or wait for the rest of the season to tell you.

HULL CITY (4-1-4-1): Myhill; McShane, Sonko, Kilbane, Dawson; Zayatte; Barmby, Marney, Geovanni, Hunt; Vennegoor of Hesselink.  Subs: Ghilas (for Barmby, 65), Olofinjana (for Zayatte, 82), Mouyokolo (for Vennegoor of Hesselink, 89), Halmosi, Altidore, Cairney, Duke.

Goals: Vennegoor of Hesselink 60; Geovanni 68

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

WIGAN ATHLETIC: Kirkland, Bramble, Scharner, Melchiot, Boyce, Figueroa, N'Zogbia, Diame, Thomas, Scotland, Rodallega.  Subs: Gomez (for Scharner, 66), Sinclair (for N'Zogbia, 84), King (for Thomas, 89), Koumas, Pollitt, Cho, Kapo. 

Goals: Sinclair 87

Booked: Gomez, N'Zogbia

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:    M Clattenburg

ATTENDANCE: 22,822