Arise, the Persian Prince

Britain and Iran are daggers drawn in a serious diplomatic incident and the only Iranian in English football gets the Mickey taken out of him by his team-mates!

That was how the Reebok's League of Nations ensured Andranik Teimourian was not affected by the hostage crisis that has dominated the headlines over the past fortnight.

Life could have been uncomfortable for the young man still struggling to come to terms with a new life, a new culture and only just getting to grips with the language.

But the dynamic midfielder was all smiles as he celebrated his scintillating two-goal performance that put Wanderers back in Champions League contention and left Wigan Athletic in deep relegation trouble.

"No politics," he said, appealingly, as he made a valiant attempt to express his emotions in broken English. "I am just very happy because my team played good and we needed these three points against Wigan because we are going for the UEFA Cup.

"I am enjoying England, I am settled in England and I like playing football in England.

"It is very different football but I am enjoying it."

Allardyce, who turned to Teimourian when skipper Kevin Nolan joined Ivan Campo on the suspension list, drooled over the potential of his Persian prince, while acknowledging the gravity of the situation that, had it not been resolved, could easily have proved an unwelcome distraction.

"If anything had happened to them it might have been a little difficult," he said, referring to the situation concerning the 15 British naval personnel who were held hostage in Tehran.

"I think one or two of the lads have taken the Mickey out of Ando, but I don't think he quite understood exactly, although there was nothing too serious.

"We've got that many foreigners . . . and half of them don't know what's going on anyway. It was only relevant to the English boys and the British boys, the other 50 per cent didn't have a clue.

"And I'm glad to say that it has all been cleared up by the fact that they have been released."

Gary Speed, who has taken the super-fit Andranik under his wing since he arrived at the Reebok from Aboo Moslem in July, said the banter was part and parcel of dressing room life.

"Sometimes it's a sign of affection, giving people stick - and Ando gives as much stick as anyone else. He's a great lad and he's fitted in well," said the Whites stand-in skipper.

"I think some of it went over his head. I don't think he really understood much of it.

"But then some of the foreign players don't speak English at certain times - especially when the gaffer's giving them a rollicking."

Allardyce was rollicking no-one after seeing Wanderers come from behind to claim their first victory over Wigan in five meetings.

They paid for a lacklustre start when Emile Heskey bundled the ball over the line, in off the unfortunate Nicky Hunt, to claim his 100th goal in league football in the 31st minute.

But a quick tactical switch, with Ricardo Gardner replacing Tal Ben Haim, who was struggling woefully at left back against the pace of Luis Valencia, laid the foundation for a win that took Wanderers to within two points of fourth-placed Arsenal. Allardyce reckons his club is just not ready for Champions League football, but, after stopping the rot of three consecutive defeats with successive victories over Sheffield United and Wigan - two teams fighting desperately for their Premiership lives - a top four finish is not beyond them.

Not if they show the character and the class that turned the tide so dramatically in their favour on Saturday.

Only once before this season had they come from behind to win an away game - at Newcastle back in October - yet, despite looking second best for the first half hour, they should have been ahead, not just level, at half time.

After Nicolas Anelka had equalised at the second time of asking in the 43rd minute, El-Hadji Diouf - brilliantly effective but still without a goal in 14 games - failed to beat John Filan at point-blank range after he could only parry Andranik's 20-yarder.

But Diouf atoned for his miss with a breathtaking piece of skill to set up the first of Andranik's double.

With almost contemptuous ease, the Senegal striker received Jussi Jaaskelainen's massive clearance, killing the ball stone dead then turning nonchalantly before playing the ball between two defenders for Andranik, at full stride, to beat Filan with a first time left-footer.

An ecstatic Andranik ran straight to the Wanderers fans to celebrate his first Premiership goal. But five minutes later he was at it again - this time beating the hapless Latics' keeper with a back post header from a cross supplied by Kevin Davies, who'd shown the skill and confidence of a winger to take on Leighton Baines.

"We've found a player who has come up with two exceptionally good finishes, especially the first one," Allardyce said in praise of the exciting 24-year-old.

"The ball from Dioufy was excellent and he didn't hesitate. He just came up on his weaker left foot and hit it first time, which meant the keeper couldn't get down. Had he taken a touch he wouldn't have scored. That's the size of the talent, when he assesses it so quickly.

"I didn't think he could head the ball in the net but that second goal was very important because it knocked the stuffing out of Wigan."

Lee McCulloch, who got the goal that gave Wigan a 1-0 win at the Reebok in November, hit Jaaskelainen's crossbar with a long range effort but, in the end, Wanderers were simply too good for the Latics, who were left perched just two points above the drop zone with manager Paul Jewell conceding they were now in a dogfight.

Andranik's selection and a first Premiership start for David Thompson added pace and a competitive edge to the Whites' midfield and, once Allardyce had made the necessary adjustment at left back, the defence coped well with the threat of Heskey and Caleb Folan.

Hunt enjoyed a good contest with McCulloch but the Wigan back four couldn't say the same about their tussles with Davies, Anelka and Diouf.

"Our record against Wigan in recent years hasn't been great," Speed said.

"We had to get a result and, after going 1-0 down we came back well.

"In recent games when we've gone 1-0 down we've gone to pieces but, fortunately we got straight back into is one and, once we got then first goal, there was only one winner."