Destined for a back-seat, speedster Stuart Barlow is firmly in the front-line in Wigan Athletic's promotion chase.

One to watch: Stuart Barlow

The one-time Everton striker was expected to be relegated to at best the substitutes' bench when Wigan splashed out almost a £1million on luring new talent to Springfield Park almost five months ago.

Welsh international Simon Haworth joined the Latics in a club record £600,000 deal from Premiership Coventry. Shortly after the Wigan attack was swelled by the arrival of Andy Liddell from First Division Barnsley in a £375,000 deal.

Compared to those fees, Barlow, a modest £45,000 purchase from Oldham, was a mere snip. If money does talk then the gossip among the pundits was that Barlow was now earmarked for a watching brief as the big-money arrivals laid waste.

But Liverpool-born Barlow has turned all those expectations upside down.

Now as he approaches his first year in the blue shirt of Wigan he is the current top scorer.

Rather than be fazed by the new competition threatening his place he has eclipsed the market forces of both Haworth and Liddell with a career-best tally of 20 goals. That's already matched of his avowed pre-season target and he declared: "It's the best run of my career in professional football and it's good that it's helping us move up the division.

"I am sure we can be involved in the shake-up at the end of the season."

Boasting youthful looks it is hard to credit that Barlow is coming towards his 30th birthday. Many would argue he is the Division Two equivalent of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a baby-faced assassin.

While that nickname may be the bane of his life, it is far better than the jibes directed at him at his first club.

Barlow joined Everton from school earning a debut as a 21-year-old in the 1990-91 campaign.

But while he showed skill and stealth and speed in getting into scoring positions more often than not he missed the target. Hence the taunt of 'barndoor', referring cruelly to the fact he was hardly able to hit one.

In six seasons with the Blues he managed just 10 goals in 71 League appearances, hardly a strike-rate to set pulses racing.

But a move to Oldham Athletic four seasons ago at last got his career moving.

His goal return improved immeasurably with the Boundary Park outfit, Barlow bagging 31 goals in 93 games. Must be something to do with the nickname Latics.

For when he moved to Wigan the same ratio was maintained with three goals in the final nine games last term.

Pace is Barlow's biggest asset. Latching on to passes from deep he is often too fast for rival defenders and he has a good eye for finishing, whether from close-range or distance.

Right now he is bang in form to rattle up the goals to underpin the ambitious Lancashire club's push for a play-off place.

With goals in five of Wigan's last six games front-man Barlow represents a major threat to the men from Bootham Crescent.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.