Norwich's season-long struggle in front of goal was brought into painful focus at Wigan for Chris Hughton.

City failed to muster a single shot on target at Latics' keeper Joel Robles before the prolific Arouna Kone rifled past Lee Camp to drag the Canaries firmly into the relegation mix.

Hughton again opted for Kei Kamara in place of Grant Holt, but the visitors looked impotent in the final third despite enjoying copious amounts of territory and possession.

'For me, it is disappointing. If we didn't have that possession and didn't get into the final third, it's a little bit different, but I thought we did,' said Hughton. 'We threatened behind them. The way they play, they do at times leave spaces and we threatened a lot of the game.

'But we didn't have that fortune, that quality or that little bit of luck, or whatever it needs, to get the goal that certainly would have got us a win or a draw. Probably away from home it's as much as we've been in that final third in terms of crosses.

'When you go away from home sometimes you have to hold your hand up if you've been beaten and beaten well. But I don't think anybody seeing the game wouldn't have thought we deserved a draw.'

Kone's predatory instincts settled a tense contest in the hosts' favour at the DW Stadium.

'There is no doubt he's a good player, he has good movement, but I couldn't see him scoring, the way the game was going,' said Hughton. 'If anything, I thought at times we broke certainly with a little more space behind, so I couldn't see them scoring.

'That probably just adds to the disappointment. It's just going to be about that one moment in the game – they had it and we didn't. But I thought for an away team, we had good periods of the game where we had good control of the ball and control of the game. Probably that's the two sides of it. You need to get the goal that's either going to secure you a win or a draw, otherwise you need to keep clean sheets and we weren't able to do that.'

Hughton refused to single out Camp after the stand-in was beaten from range following a sloppy passage of play involving Wes Hoolahan and Jonny Howson.

'At this moment, after the game, I need to see it again and see whether he could have done better, but no, no fault there,' said Hughton.

'He is somebody who has come in and done well. I thought his demeanour in the game was very good, when he had to come and catch he was very good. We lost the ball in the middle of the park, and one good strike saw them get the goal they needed. For us, having been so solid, I couldn't see that goal happening because I thought we were very solid in the middle of the park.'

Hughton needed little prompting to put Norwich's damaging defeat in context after Wigan's success moved the Latics within four points of his side with a league game in hand.

The City chief feels home tests to come against the likes of struggling Reading and Aston Villa will be pivotal. Norwich also host West Brom with Capital One Cup winners Swansea the next visitors to Carrow Road this coming weekend.

'It was always going to be about what we do. We've got seven games left, four of those games at home and I think clubs like ourselves are always going to be stronger at home than away,' said Hughton. 'I'm disappointed here because I thought it was a really good opportunity to pick up points or at least pick up a point. We've got seven games and it will be over those seven games that we need to make sure.'