Wayne Carlisle felt Town had done enough to merit a battling draw at the JJB Stadium.
The Northern Ireland midfielder said the visitors had fought well but ultimately luck had not been on their side.
He said: "I don't think we deserved to get beaten but I thought we'd done enough to grind out a draw.
"When you come to places like Wigan you know it's going to be tough.
"Unfortunately, they've got a deflected free kick and that's been enough to give them victory."
The midfielder felt Town should have coped better with Wigan's attacking threat but felt the Latics were a much better side than their league position suggested.
He said: "They've got some quality players and the JJB is quite imposing but I still think we should have got something."
Carlisle was pushed up into an attacking role late on when Danny Invincible hobbled off injured.
He joked: "I was a makeshift striker I suppose.
"But to be honest, I don't mind where I play as long as I'm playing."
Danny Invincible said Town had been unfortunate to come up against a Wigan side in form.
He said: "They played well and stretched us a lot.
"I think they probably deserved the points but I'm annoyed the way the goal went in.
"The referee gave them a free kick and told us to get back 10 yards.
"But while going back 10 yards he's let them take it quickly.
"Surely it has to be one or the other."
Stand-in skipper Andy Gurney felt Town had dug in well at the JJB.
He said: "I thought we kept them at bay. They had a lot of the ball but didn't really hurt us. For a lot of the first half they just played across us.
"We're not kidding ourselves. We weren't great going forward but I really believe we deserved something.
"These things happen I suppose. You've just to get on with it."
Gurney's central defensive colleague Matt Heywood felt it had been a case of Wigan deja vu, albeit with a goal added.
He said: "Up until the goal I thought we were going to hang on for a scrappy nil-nil, just like last year.
"I didn't think they created many chances until they scored.
"Once they've got ahead, we're left chasing the game and they've had more openings.
"But whatever we've tried on the break, it didn't pay off.
"We'd have been happy with a point but it just wasn't to be."
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