Putting together what is the 52nd first team report of this season does require some pre-planning (aside from buying a double round at last orders) and for this occasion, a line about Alan Pardew's defensive choices in general and full back options was left unused from the Anji home jottings.   

Had that appeared in Thursday's report though, a hasty rewrite would have been required following the events of Sunday afternoon, when we went from a surplus to a shortage of full backs within a fifteen minute period. Things were obviously just going too well for the black and whites.   

Having already seen Mathieu Debuchy limp off with a thigh strain while stretching to net after the referee's whistle had sounded, his replacement Massadio Haidara departed on a stretcher after falling victim to one of the most horrific challenges inflicted on a Newcastle player in living memory. 

The severity of that incident overshadowed United's travesty of a defeat here, with the manner of Wigan's winner - stemming from a blatant handball - knocked off top spot in the grievance table.

Callum McManaman made a wild, knee-high, studs-up, two-footed lunge towards Haidara that left the visiting player prone on the turf in obvious distress. However match referee Mark Halsey incredibly allowed the game to continue until the assailant punched the ball out of play and the Newcastle physio attended to the player, followed closely by a clutch of medical staff.

With Haidara en route to hospital, the game then belatedly restarted with a free kick to Newcastle for the handball and no punishment for McManaman. It could be argued that the deliberate handball was deserving of a card, but it defies logic that there was no sanction for the assault.

That sequence of events affected the rest of a first half that was played out in decidedly muted fashion, Wigan already ahead and Newcastle never looking particularly like finding an equaliser. 

Having barely threatened Rob Elliot's goal save for their opener, Wigan carved open the United defence not long before half time and McArthur bombed into the box, only to be promptly dispossessed by an immaculately-timed intervention from Jonas Gutierrez. 

The departure of the two teams from the field was then punctuated by what Alan Pardew later called a "kerfuffle" between the two benches, with an incensed John Carver trying to administer his own form of vengeance on McManaman. Both he and Latics coach Graham Barrow were red-carded as a result and saw the second half from the stands, with misconduct charges later following.

A reinvigorated Magpies side began to push forward towards the away contingent after the break, soon doing enough to crank up the noise levels from that end of the ground.

Papiss Cisse had a great chance to get his side back on terms but went for the near post and fired wildly over when three of his colleagues were well placed in the six yard box. However normal service then looked to be restored when Davide Santon fired home a maiden strike for the club, the Italian pressing forward as United went looking for what seemed a fairly likely winner at that point.

With three minutes remaining Cisse almost prodded the ball home at the near post only to see his effort saved - although a corner was inexplicably not given. The Latics duly took advantage and counter-attacked, forcing Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to nearly slice the ball into his own net and concede a flag kick as the game moved into the final minute of normal time.

Given Newcastle's recent run of late winners, there was a certain depressing inevitability about being similarly caught out at some stage. However to concede a goal in such obviously illegal circumstances after half of our side hesitated for an obvious handball that wasn't given added insult to injury on yet another cursed afternoon in Wigan for us.

Just what is it about this bloody place? With one exception, our visits here have been wretched in the extreme ever since our first visit in 2005 saw Alan Shearer's equalising header clearly cross the line only for a myopic linesman to disagree. Subsequent seasons then saw a missed penalty from Nobby Solano and rocket shots from future Magpies Ryan Taylor defeat us, before the blackest day we'd experienced before today in this part of Lancashire - Boxing Day 2008. 

Seeing Jose Enrique limp out of the pre-match warm up gave the first indication that a wretched afternoon awaited the toon contingent and sure enough, things rapidly imploded after the usual Ryan Taylor howitzer strike. Within ten minutes Lee Cattermole had clattered into Habib Beye and left him needing to be stretchered off with knee damage, the Latics man remaining on the field.

And to put the tin lid on things, a clash between Sebastien Bassong and Emile Heskey midway in our own half was allowed to progress by locally-based whistler Mike Dean, who ignored a linesman's flag and played on until the pair reached our box. Cue a Latics penalty and a red card for the Magpies defender. The only loss here we concede total responsibility for is last season's 0-4 howking. 

Back to this game and it's possible to level criticism at United for not playing to the whistle but the glaring error here is of the officials in allowing play to continue, not our lot stopping for what was seemingly the most obvious piece of ball to hand cheating since Bobby Robson's darkest hour.

Similarly, some teams would have downed tools. but the half-hearted protests directed towards Halsey were from players sickened by the multiple misfortunes of the afternoon and the callous disregard for their own safety that the officials displayed - a stance later backed up by the FA.

Roberto Martinez later attempted to excuse his young thug on the grounds of inexperience, the same applies to our highly promising recruit . Memories of the career-defining injuries suffered by Haidara's SJP predecessors Malcolm Brown and Mark Robinson were regrettably invoked by what happened here today. Awaiting full medical updates, you genuinely fear for the lad.

It's probably just as well that Carver was well away from the bench by the time that goal went in, otherwise things could really have got out of hand. In retrospect though, it's a pity he was unable to stick one on the loathsome Dave Whelan up in the posh seats.

The Latics owner later attempted to justify the indefensible actions of McManaman and the pair succeeding in hoodwinking the FA, who were only too eager to sit on their hands and pretend nothing had happened. No, that wasn't a stretcher. Nothing to see, move along now. Official.

Their success in hastily rewriting history here may well lead a call from South Africa for some lucrative legal consultancy work defending a well-known runner...

Exiting here both pointless and luckless, United must now try and deal with a steadily lengthening injury list and the fact that we're not sufficiently in the comfort zone yet points-wise to completely devote ourselves to the pursuit of Europa League glory. Those two or three required PL victories now look slightly harder to achieve than they did earlier this month.

After last season's 0-4 DW debacle, Danny Simpson had been widely and correctly ridiculed (making Wigan's deadline day move for him all the more bizarre) but after the turn of events here may have an unexpectedly significant role to play in the closing weeks of our season, along with fellow forgotten mag Mike Williamson. That's hardly cause for a great amount of optimism, frankly.

Regardless of our welcome transfer activity in January, the upcoming set of internationals may well do much to decide how this campaign concludes - with misadventures in France, Italy or Guinea having ramifications back on Tyneside. I really, really hate this bastard place.   

Biffa