Basement side Celtic Crusaders produced an amazing performance to beat Wigan at Bridgend and win only their second engage Super League match of the season.

It has not been one of Wigan's classic campaigns so far with their 34-18 thumping of Salford at the JJB Stadium last week giving them a welcome seventh victory of the season after successive losses at Warrington and at home to Hull KR in the past three games.

And although the odds were stacked against the Welshmen before kick-off, they desperately needed to cause an upset or lose touch with the rest of the league, with them being eight points adrift of Salford before kick-off.

But, with a raft of injuries causing Crusaders' coach John Dixon headaches, it only meant their problems were aggravated.

Wigan, though, found themselves 12-6 behind at half-time as the match, which was expected to be one-way traffic towards the men from Lancashire, was nothing of the kind.

In the first few minutes, Wigan's huge side looked too big for the Welsh club and the expected ritual thumping of the previous few weeks was looking ominous.

But the Crusaders finally got it right although they could have found themselves well behind had Wigan not squandered chances and had wing Luke Dyer not pulled off a tremendous try-saving tackle to deny Shaun Ainscough.

Instead, they turned on a fantastic half of rugby in which there was not one penalty conceded by either side and the Welshmen gave as good as they got.

In fact, they went in front when Australian wing Mark Lennon made a decisive break down the left, passed to the excellent Peter Lupton to put scrum-half Jace Van Dijk on a 20-yard run under the posts for Lennon to convert.

Wigan hit back, though, when second row Harrison Hansen drove over as Wigan put the pressure on the home team inside their 25 with Pat Richards converting.

But a huge crossfield kick by Van Dijk sent Peter Lupton over near the posts and, with Lennon's conversion, the dream was on.

And it got better when centre Mark Dalle Cort went over for a third try just before the hour that Lennon converted.

But it could not last and, on the hour, Wigan began to hit back with a vengeance. They smashed at the Crusaders defence until it finally buckled for centre Cameron Phelps to go over near the line.

Martin Gleeson then set up Amos Roberts to level the scores at 16-16 but Richards missed the conversion to leave the Crusaders with hope.

However, the roof came off The Brewery Field when Lupton, comfortably man of the match, drove over in the corner and, when Lennon converted, there was no way back for the Warriors.