NEIL MELLOR ended a year of injury heartbreak to grab a dramatic winner for Wigan in a five-goal thriller.His side were in front after two minutes, with the two new boys playing their part as David Thompson's long ball forward was flicked on by Mellor into the path of Jason Roberts.

Skippering the side for the first time in his Wigan career, Roberts then drove home his 12th goal of the season, with the power on the shot too much for Brad Jones as the ball spun off him into the net.

Roberts also had two further chances from which Wigan should have taken a two-goal lead. However the visitors did double their lead on 29 minutes, with Gary Teale delivering a cross from the right for Thompson to steal in front of Matthew Bates and head home.

At the start of the second half McClaren made his final substitution, taking off the ineffective Mark Viduka was replacing him with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The move paid handsome dividends in the 56th minute. Mike Pollitt's attempt at a fisted clearance to an inswinging Stewart Downing corner resulted in the ball ballooning over the bar. That gave Downing a second attempt, the winger whipping the ball into the near post where Hasselbaink headed home unchallenged from three yards.

Boro were now rampant and 10 minutes later they drew level courtesy of another Downing corner, this time flicked on at the near post by a stooping Southgate. A totally unaware Aiyegbeni Yakubu saw the ball deflect off his legs and over the line.

But in the third minute of injury time Wigan grabbed the winner, with Roberts backheeling a cross onto Mellor to fire the ball into the roof of the net from three yards.