Wigan 1
Kilbane 45
West Ham 0
Wigan 1 West Ham 0 February 02 2008
Kevin Kilbane lifted Wigan out of the bottom three of the Premier League with a rare strike as they defeated West Ham 1-0 at the JJB Stadium.
Kilbane scored only his second goal in 60 appearances for the club on the stroke of half-time to down the Hammers.
The scoreline should have been greater as Michael Brown, Antonio Valencia and Marcus Bent all went close after the interval.
Fortunately, they were not made to rue the missed chances from a game in which the only bright spot for the Irons was Craig Bellamy's return from a long-term abdominal injury.
On the stroke of half-time a deep Ryan Taylor free-kick found the unmarked Kilbane, who looped an angled header over the stranded Robert Green.
Valencia's effort on 71 rebounded into Green's arms off both posts before Bellamy shaved the bar with a rising shot.