Had the ex-Wigan manager returned to the DW Stadium with ex-Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole in tow, we could have been looking at an entirely different story.

And had Kenwyne Jones not missed the match through suspension, Sunderland would have had a greater physical presence in both boxes and a more suitable target for the multitude of long balls lone striker Darren Bent so manfully tried to get on the end of.

The absence of either fatally undermined Sunderland's hopes of success.Sunderland's list of awful away defeats this season might not exactly qualify as a roll of shame, but certainly it's the black mark on the Black Cats season so far – Burnley, Birmingham City, Stoke City, now Wigan Athletic.

And not just the defeats but the manner of them.

You can't help but feel that these are the games Cattermole would have excelled in; the gritty, unglamorous games against the lesser lights; games played out on hostile fields where snap and snarl are more important than finesse and flair.

Sunderland had more than enough of the latter in the shape of Steed Malbranque, Jordan Henderson, Andy Reid and Kieran Richardson.

But with a wound-up Wigan matching up against Sunderland's five-man midfield, none of the Black Cats quartet could get to grips with the game and at times the defensive midfielder Lorik Cana was in danger of being overwhelmed as his team-mates treated the ball like a hot potato.

Richardson lofted a hopeful shot high and wide from the first attack of the game, but Wigan's greater focus soon began to tell, Charles N'Zogbia whistling a right-wing cross through the six-yard box which the unmarked Hugo Rodallega turned into the side netting at the far post.

A better chance was carved out in the seventh minute when Rodallega and Jason Scotland combined to set up Paul Scharner, but the Austrian's shot was saved by Marton Fulop.

At the other end of the field Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland went untested before the break.

The Wearsiders almost created a goal out of nothing on 19 minutes.
A chipped ball from Malbranque to Bent saw the striker turn on the edge of the area, but Emmerson Boyce robbed the striker as he shaped to shoot.

Just before the half-hour mark, Jason Scotland took advantage of lacklustre defending at the end of a flowing move to crash a shot against Fulop's left-hand post.Michael Turner was booked in the 29th minute, and from the resulting free-kick almost put through his own net.

His header was about to sneak inside Fulop's right-hand post before the Hungarian stretched every sinew to fingertip it around the post.

Steve Bruce will have been a relieved man to get his players in at half-time with the game still goalless.

After the break, the ineffective Steed Malbranque was replaced by Fraizer Campbell, as Sunderland switched to 4-4-2.

Chinks started to appear in Wigan's armour – an Andy Reid shot from range was deflected just over Kirkland's bar.T

The Black Cats' best chance to take the lead came in the 54th minute when Reid flighted a delightful ball to the far post, which Bent headed across the face of goal.

Wigan came close to getting a breakthrough just after the hour when Jordi Gomez's shot from the edge of the area was blocked out for a corner, which Figueroa headed straight at Fulop.

Sunderland were visibly trying to gain composure and a couple of times balls into the Wigan box caused consternation – Campbell in particular having a great opening only to slip as he looked to pull the trigger, but the moment that mattered came quarter-of-an-hour from time.

Just a few minutes earlier Rodallega had brought an excellent save out of Fulop, and then shot wide of the target.

But he finally got his reward when Scharner lofted a ball over the top from the centre-circle, Rodallega bouncing Da Silva off the ball on the left-hand edge of the area before zeroing in on goal and sliding a low shot through the advancing Fulop from a narrow angle.

With time running out, Cana headed just over the bar, Jordan Henderson had a shot blocked and Bolo Zenden had an effort deflected inches wide, but Sunderland still finished the game without testing the Wigan goalkeeper once.

That statistic completed a miserable afternoon for Bruce, who has now lost to both his former Premier League clubs – Birmingham and Wigan.