BRUCE IS A BARGAIN!

On top of the £3m Dave Whelan paid in compensation to prise his manager away from Birmingham City, it has been an expensive investment by the Latics chairman.

But it has proved to be money well spent with survival guaranteed by this stirring victory over disappointing Villa.

If Bruce needed an extra cause for celebration he completed what he described as his finest moment as a manager against the club in whose shadow he lived when he was down the road at St Andrew's.

Antonio Valencia's double virtually demolished Villa's chance of qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup — more reasons for the Wigan boss to open an extra bottle of bubbly.

There will be some more kept on ice for next weekend when his team face Manchester United in a game that could decide the destiny of the Premier League title.

Honesty

And he will not hesitate to derail United either in the same way he forced Villa wildly off course.

Bruce said: "Fergie hasn't been on the phone to me yet. Give him a chance. But he won't be expecting any favours from us and he won't get any. It will be a game for us to look forward to.

"The quality of the Premier League is down to its honesty and integrity. That's what makes it the best league in the world.

"Now we just want to concentrate on what we have just achieved.

"Driving home from Bolton on December 16 we had nine points from 16 games and I was thinking ‘We are in trouble'.

"It has been a fantastic achievement to get 31 points since Christmas.

"I am delighted for Mr Whelan who forked out an unbelievable sum of money to turn the club around and he deserves a team in the Premier League."

Villa's build-up to this pivotal game was overshadowed by the £10m transfer bid by Liverpool for skipper Gareth Barry, which infuriated manager Martin O'Neill with its timing.

Barry was certainly not at his inspirational best. Maybe his mind was on Merseyside.

And it was his lethargic performance which set the tone for the rest of the team.

O'Neill said: "I am sure that the Liverpool bid for Barry didn't help.

"But if you put that down as the reason for our display you would be looking for an excuse.

"We should be better than that. It was our opportunity to put some pressure on Everton in the race for fifth place and we didn't take it."

Villa needed Barry's drive and delivery from midfield.

But the victory that would have sustained their hopes of finishing fifth was clearly not enough of an incentive to stir them into something more vibrant.

The first half came and went with hardly a moment of serious activity in either penalty area, though Gabby Agbonlahor should have done better when he dragged a shot wide from just inside the box.

Snatch

Wigan had not given any hint that they would take the game by the throat in the second half.

If anything they were even more disjointed than Villa until Valencia gave them the lead in the 52nd minute.

The winger needed a slice of fortune to beat Scott Carson with his shot taking a massive deflection off Wilfred Bouma.

Barry had an immediate chance to level but his shot found the side-netting.

And as they pressed for the equaliser they left the door open for Wigan to snatch a second in the 63rd minute.

Valencia accelerated on to Emile Heskey's flicked header and the Ecuadorian had enough pace and composure to slide past Olof Mellberg and Nigel Reo-Coker before beating Carson at the near post.

With Europe disappearing into the far distance — barring a successful Intertoto Cup campaign — Villa quickly ran out of motivation and ideas.

Agbonlahor had a header tipped over by Chris Kirkland but to counter that Valencia came close to completing his hat-trick with a shot saved at full stretch by Carson.

O'Neill didn't see this performance coming on a day when Swedish defender Mellberg made his last home appearance for Villa before he joins Juventus in the summer.

More alarming for Villa, it could be Barry's last as well.