Dave Challinor's faith repaid at Leyton Orient after Stockport County criticism | OneFootball

The striker proved his worth in the best way possible last weekend

Stockport County striker Kyle Wootton has not gone without criticism this season.

His perceived lack of goals as the main striker at Edgeley Park has left some critical of his performances.

However, manager Dave Challinor has stood strong and backed his man, and it paid off again against Leyton Orient last weekend.

With County going all in on deadline day, Wootton will need to kick on now to battle for his place.

Goal showed everything Kyle Wootton has been accused of lacking

Even among those who don’t rate Wootton as County’s answer for the striker role, one thing can be agreed: he works well as a battering ram up front, jostling with centre-backs, bringing others into play, and generally disrupting the opposition backline.

Where some have criticised Wootton is his goalscoring ability, claiming that his other work is all well and good, but a striker needs to score goals — not an entirely unfair conclusion.

But against Orient, he showed that he does possess that poacher’s instinct with a classic centre-forward’s goal.

Pouncing on a ball bouncing around the box, Wootton was on his toes to poke the chance home, determinedly getting there before anyone else could to knock it into the back of the net.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal, and probably won’t make it into any Goal of the Month compilations, but it’s exactly the sort of chance that his critics have been urging him to be ready and available for.

The stats show Kyle Wootton’s worth to Stockport County

The way Challinor opts to use Wootton means his role involves more than playing on the last man and putting the finishing touch on a move.

He’s required to drop back a bit, hold up the ball, make it stick high up the pitch and bring others into play; the dirty work in football that doesn’t always make it into highlight reels but has been vital to the way the Hatters have played this season, which has seen them maintain a place in the play-off places.

But Wootton’s headline stats do also show the good work he’s been doing.

He’s notched seven goals and six assists in 29 League One appearances, proof in itself that he has a greater focus on providing than some other forwards might.

And for his first proper season in the third tier in almost 10 years, seven goals is not a bad return, putting him in the top 20 scorers in the league.

He may not be as lethal as Louie Barry in front of goal — who stormed to 15 goals before being recalled by Aston Villa — but he brings plenty of other attributes to the table.

Kyle Wootton now has more competition at Edgeley Park

Deadline day saw the Hatters recruit Sam Cosgrove on loan from fellow third-tier club Barnsley.

Speaking on his signing, Challinor said: “We have tried to bring in a target striker that can link with and ease the stress of Wootts and Tanto at the top end, and to be able to get a player who knows the league, has had success across his career and is the profile we are looking for is great for us.”

The 6’4” striker is a similarly physical presence in the frontline and will offer a similar game to Wootton, meaning those two will be directly battling for places.

He has already had to fend off Olaofe, who notched 20 goals last season, but the 25-year-old offers an entirely different game to Wootton, the former known for using his blistering pace and endless effort to seize the ball high up the field and beat defenders to create chances.

Cosgrove is direct competition for Wootton, so he will ensure he’s at his maximum level to ensure his place in the team is secure.

Dave Challinor’s faith in Wootton was repaid by the striker against Orient, showing what he can do at his best, but he must now kick on to retain his place against tough competition.