Source: FOOTYMAD
Striker signs
Latics gamble on non league prospect Athletic have signed striker Matt Smith from Solihull Moors. CEO Alan Hardy believes it is worth taking a gamble on players who have succeeded in the lower leagues. Smith has signed a two-year deal at Boundary Park. He first caught the eye of Athletic manager Paul Dickov after he scored 23 goals in 27 appearances last season.Hardy said, “Obviously Paul has taken a gamble by bringing in a player from a non-league club, but Matt is an exciting talent who has scored a lot of goals. Sometimes signing lads from a lower level does work out. You only have to look at the likes of Charlie Austin at Burnley, and Peterborough’s Craig Mackail-Smith. They all started at the bottom. Clubs snapped them up and they have established themselves in league football. The manager won’t have a problem looking at non-league players again, depending on what materialises with his other transfer targets. Our scouts are out and about watching matches all over the place and at different levels of football.”
