Ryan Nelsen scored his first Barclays League Premier League goal as Blackburn Rovers took a huge stride towards safety with victory over Wigan Athletic at Ewood Park.
The New Zealand defender headed home Benni McCarthy's free-kick on the hour after McCarthy had given Rovers the lead on the stroke of half -time.
Hugo Rodallega had hit the woodwork for Wigan in the third minute and the home side had Paul Robinson to thank for retaining their advantage in the second half.
Wigan gave the home side a mighty scare as early as the third minute when Antonio Valencia broke past Stephen Warnock on the right and floated a shot over Paul Robinson which crashed away off the underside of the bar.
Hugo Rodallega also threatened from the opposite flank as Allardyce's men began looking jittery, although Samba - playing up front as expected - almost got his foot on a long Warnock cross to the back post in the 11th minute.
Rovers came even closer one minute later when Morten Gamst Pedersen flashed a ball across the box and once again the lurking Samba just failed to get the crucial touch in front of goal.
El-Hadji Diouf was just beaten to Benni McCarthy's right-wing cross by Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland as the home side's early nerves seemed to evaporate and the dangerous Samba looked the most likely source of a breakthrough.
Wigan had a lucky escape in the 23rd minute when Pedersen's deep cross eluded everybody until it fell to Diouf at the far post, and his header goalwards was booted off the line despite Lee Cattermole slipping as he did so.
N'Zogbia lashed a left-foot shot wide for the visitors who continued to show plenty of purpose in their attacks. Watson should have done better when he was set up by Rodallega in the 26th minute but fired over the bar.
The visitors continued to shade the action up to the break, threatening from a series of Watson corners, while Allardyce's shortage of attacking options was underlined again by his side's absence of clear-cut chances.
However just as the half seemed destined to end in stalemate, McCarthy rose to meet Pedersen's corner in the final minute of the half and headed a potentially priceless opener past Kirkland.
Latics manager Bruce replaced the ineffective Mido with Amr Zaki at the break, handing the Egyptian striker a shot at redemption for the first time since the player was fined for returning late from international duty.
But Rovers had the first chance of the half in the 54th minute when Samba out-jumped Kirkland to meet Andre Ooijer's cross from the right but steered the ball just the wrong side of the post.
One minute later the visitors came closer when Valencia cut across the box and played a clever ball which put Watson through, but the midfielder's low drive was parried away by Robinson.
Rovers took another huge stride towards safety on the hour when they grabbed their second goal, McCarthy flinging in a free-kick from the left and captain Nelsen rising to flick home his first goal for the club.
Robinson denied Wigan an opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 65th minute with a series of fine saves which started when he tipped a Charles N'Zogbia header over the bar for a corner.
From Watson's set-piece Emmerson Boyce saw his initial shot cleared off the line before Robinson parried Valencia's long-range follow-up then Scharner's goal-bound close-range header.
Robinson continued to deny the Latics a chance at getting back in the match, stretching well to parry another sharp effort from the dangerous Rodallega in the 72nd minute.
To their credit Wigan pressed to the end and Robinson was called into action in injury time to save again from substitute Daniel De Ridder, and Ooijer booting a late Titus Bramble effort off the line.
(From Website : http://www.premierleague.com/page/MatchReports/0,,12306~45183,00.html)
