A SUPERB second-half showing spearheaded by the two-goal Ben Marshall ensured Rovers returned to winning ways in this afternoon’s Lancashire derby at Ewood Park.

Big-spending Wigan took the lead in the 51st minute when James Perch’s 20-yard shot travelled through a host of bodies in the box and beat Paul Robinson low down to his right.

But within five minutes Rovers were in front.

Firstly man-of-the-match Marshall rifled a superb 22-yard effort into the corner of the net before Jordan Rhodes, with the help of Latics goalkeeper Scott Carson, headed in Craig Conway’s inswinging free kick to make it three goals in as many games.

And revitalised and rampant Rovers sealed a deserved victory seven minutes from time with the goal of the match from Marshall who took a pass from Tom Cairney and shifted the ball on to his right foot before bending it beautifully beyond Carson.

Ivan Ramis blazed a 40th-minute penalty over the bar for Wigan after Callum McManaman had gone down easily in the area under a challenge from Alex Baptiste.

But Wigan, who had ended a cagey first half strongly with McManaman drawing a good save out of Robinson at his near post before crossing for Emmerson Boyce to head wastefully over, did eventually go in front six minutes after the restart.

Don Cowie played the ball out wide to Emyr Huws and the Welshman, one of four signings made by Latics boss Uwe Rosler on transfer deadline day, ran at the defence before seeing his cross cleared by Grant Hanley as far as Perch who did the rest.

Up until that point Rovers, playing a new-look 4-3-3 formation with Marshall operating in the hole behind Rhodes, had barely threatened.

Carson did save a header from Rhodes in the fourth minute following a cross from impressive left back Markus Olsson who, along with the fit-again Rudy Gestede and Matt Kilgallon, was one of three changes to the side that started the 3-1 loss at Wolves two weeks earlier.

But it was not until Perch’s opener that the hosts really sparked into life.

Marshall punished Wigan’s failure to twice clear their lines from a Conway cross in the 53rd minute and three minutes later Rhodes turned the match on its head thanks in part to a poor piece of keeping by Carson.

Marshall had another goal, rattled in off the bar, and twice forced the former England international into saves, the second particularly spectacular, before he settled the contest in some style in the 83rd minute.

Conway, Cairney and – with a clever decoy run – Olsson were all involved before Marshall beat Carson beat all ends up from the edge of the area to put a thrilling finishing touch to a fantastic, patient passage of play.

And Rovers, who named new boys Jason Steele, Shane Duffy and Ryan Tunnicliffe on the bench, could have had more with hard-working substitute Luke Varney just failing to turn in a fizzed over cross from Olsson before he raced on to a defence-splitting pass from Cairney and was brilliantly denied by the overworked Latics keeper.

At the other end Andrew Taylor had a cross-shot cleared off the line from Kilgallon before he missed an excellent opportunity to reduce the deficit in injury-time.

The win moved Rovers, who are now unbeaten in their last nine league outings at home, up to eighth in the early Championship standings going into Wednesday’s visit of Derby County.

Rovers: Robinson, Baptiste, Hanley, Kilgallon, Olsson, Marshall (Tunnicliffe 90), Evans, Cairney, Conway (Taylor 86), Rhodes, Gestede (Varney 62). Subs not used: Steele, King, Williamson, Duffy.

Booked: Cairney.

Goals: Marshall 53, 83, Rhodes 56.

Wigan: Carson, Perch, Boyce, Ramis, Kiernan, Taylor, Huws (Forshaw 80), Cowie, Kvist (Maloney 63), McManaman (Waghorn 80), Delort. Subs not used: Al Habsi, Tavernier, Riera, Barnett.

Booked: Delort, Waghorn.

Goal: Perch 51.

Referee: Roger East.

Attendance: 15,782 (2,079 away).