Roberto Martinez wants Jason Scotland to make himself an FA Cup hero tonight – and so kick-start his stuttering Wigan career.
The former Swansea striker, so prolific in the Championship and League One, has found the step up to Premier League standard a tougher one than he might have imagined.
He’s yet to score in 20 Premier League games but a goal or two against Notts County in the cup tonight, could be just the confidence boost he needs.
Wigan boss Martinez has added two new strikers to his squad this week - Marcelo Moreno and Victor Moses – but insists Scotland is still very much a part of his plans.
Both new boys are ineligible for tonight’s cup replay at the DW Stadium, and so Scotland is likely to get another chance to prove his worth - Martinez is convinced the 30-year-old can still be a success at the club.
"His workrate has been exceptional, as has his link-up play, but his biggest asset is scoring goals," Martinez said. "At the moment he is creating the chances and getting in great positions and he hasn't been able to score, but it would be a bigger worry if he hadn't been able to create the chances.
"He is a very strong character and he's in a perfect moment of his career - at 30, he's capable of coping with anything that comes his way. I can see day by day he is becoming a stronger and a better footballer, and the goals will come, it is only a matter of time.
"I'm not going to judge a player by the chances he misses - I'm going to judge a player by the chances he creates and the overall contribution to the team."