A late Ben Watson goal allowed Wigan to claw back a two-goal deficit and force League Two's Notts County to an FA Cup replay just when a shock looked likely.
Watson struck from six yards after County failed to deal with a corner.
County had gone into the break 2-0 ahead thanks to a close-range strike from the impressive Lee Hughes and Ben Davies' dipping free-kick.
But Jason Scotland combined with Hugo Rodallega to beat Kasper Schmeichel and make it 2-1 before Watson's equaliser.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez had warned his side that their opponents possessed players who were more than capable of playing higher up than League Two.
On this display, Notts County certainly proved that to be case, with midfielders Davies and Neil Bishop shining under the FA Cup spotlight.
But the Magpies did not have quite enough quality to put Wigan to the sword as the Latics, 62 league places above their hosts, dominated the second half and take the match to a replay.
I know there are those who say the FA Cup has lost its shine, but this is the kind of thing that makes it such an intriguing thing for the average American sports fan. Hell, in this country you have college football and basketball teams that refuse to schedule lesser teams that could actually threaten them in order to protect their status as the "big boys." It's a damn shame because an event like the FA Cup does provide the potential for great theater.
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