One to Watch – Omar Bogle

Name: Omar Bogle
Date of Birth: 26/07/1992
Former Clubs:Hinckley United, Solihull Motors, Grimsby Town.
Apps (Goals): 83 (40)

As the lowest scorers in the Championship, it`s no surprise Wigan find themselves in the bottom three, having netted just 29 league goals so far this term, with last season’s top scorer Will Grigg, who bagged 25 goals in League One on their way to promotion, scoring just five times in the second-tier this season.

In an attempt to increase their goalscoring threat, Latics’ manager Warren Joyce brought in prolific Grimsby Town striker Omar Bogle last month on a two-and-a-half-year contract in a deal that could rise to £1million with add-ons, a player who had led the League Two goalscoring charts prior to his move.

It is a big ask of the 24-year-old, who had just half a season of league football behind him before moving to the DW Stadium, with the majority of his career to date having been spent in Non League, after coming through the youth ranks at West Brom, Birmingham and Celtic, before joining Hinckley United in 2012.

After a few months with Hinckley, he signed for Conference North side Solihull Motors ahead of the 2012/2013 season, where he would play under former QPR defender and future Grimsby manager Marcus Bignot, and his goalscoring exploits soon put him on the radar of clubs higher up the food chain.

A return of 29 goals during the 2014/2015 season saw Bogle finish as top scorer in the Conference North, earning him the division’s Player of the Year Award, and after speculation linking him to a variety of clubs, a move to the National League with the Mariners followed, signing in June 2015 on a three-year deal.

It proved a great piece of business by then Grimsby manager Paul Hurst, as Bogle got his career at Blundell Park off to a flying start, scoring seven times in his first nine league outings as the club looked to win promotion back to the Football League after having dropped out at the end of the 2009/2010 season.

The goals dried up in the second half of the campaign, as he notched just three after the turn of the year, but Grimsby had done enough come May to secure themselves a play-off spot, when they were pitted against Braintree in the semi-final, and found themselves in a precarious position after losing the first leg 1-0 at home.

Bogle would become the side’s hero as he regained his goalscoring touch, netting in extra time in the second-leg as the Mariners ran out 2-0 victors to set up a final with Forest Green Rovers at Wembley.

A brace from Bogle in the space of a minute just before half-time gave the side a 2-0 lead at the break, and they would go on to gain promotion to League Two after a 3-1 victory, giving the striker his first taste of league football, and just over half a year later, he would find himself one division from the top flight.

He took no time at all adapting to the higher level, scoring eight times in the first 10 league games of this season, and he was voted the League Two Player of the month for November after scoring three braces and seven goals in total in four games, which saw speculation ahead of the transfer window increase.

His opener in the club’s 2-0 victory at home to Notts County on 20th January brought Bogle’s tally to 19 for the season, and desperate to hold onto his services, he was offered improved terms on his deal at Blundell Park, but instead would move jump two divisions to sign for Wigan at the end of last month.

After coming off the bench for his first appearance for the Latics in a 1-0 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday, he made his first start for the club four days later when Norwich travelled to the DW Stadium, and Bogle scored twice to secure a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with the Canaries.

With 21 goals in 35 games so far this season, the forward has been in scintillating form, and he will be key in Wigan’s bid to beat the drop and stave off an immediate return to League One.