Wigan face relegation from the Sky Bet Championship after their turbulent season concluded with a 1-1 draw with play-off bound Fulham at the DW Stadium.
With a 12-point deduction for entering administration looming, Wigan needed a win, plus other results going their way, to keep their heads above water.
They were staying up as things stood at half-time after Kieffer Moore’s 32nd-minute header had given them the lead, but Neeskens Kebano levelled with a free-kick four minutes after the break.
The club are appealing against the deduction, but while they await the outcome of that, this ending to the campaign will be tough to take for Paul Cook’s Latics, who have lost only one of their final 15 games this term.
Scott Parker’s Fulham, who went into the contest with an outside chance of making the automatic promotion places, finish fourth and will face Cardiff in the play-off semi-finals.
Wigan started to exert more pressure, and after Sam Morsy struck wide, Moore had the ball in the Fulham net, tapping in after Rodak parried Naismith’s shot, but the flag was up for offside.
Moments later Moore then had a penalty appeal of his own turned down, following a tangle with Joe Bryan, before producing another close-range finish to put the hosts in front, heading home from Nathan Byrne’s cross.
Wigan almost regained the lead just before the hour mark as Balogun’s header was kept out by a fine Rodak stop, and Kieran Dowell found the side-netting a minute later.
Moore then threw himself at another Byrne cross but was unable to make contact, Naismith and Joe Williams saw strikes fly wide, and there were further unsuccessful attempts from Naimsith and substitute Joe Gelhardt as Wigan’s hunt for another, vital goal proved in vain.
