Stoke Club Focus – Remarkable career of Walters a beacon of hope
Jonathan Walters’ journey to becoming an accomplished Premier League striker at Stoke City ought to inspire any player with unfulfilled aspirations of making the grade in the topflight. His journey is proof positive that second chances in the big time exist provided someone is prepared to work hard and to the full extent of their ability.
Walters began his career with Blackburn Rovers but after failing to establish himself in the Ewood Park club’s first team left for Bolton in 2001. There he made only a handful of senior appearances and was loaned out to several lower league clubs including Hull, for whom the Merseysider signed permanently in 2004.
Unfortunately, a lack of output in his first season with the Tigers - managing just two goals in 37 games - meant it was also his last and he was sold to then League Two side Wrexham in 2005. After once again struggling to contribute a meaningful stream of goals, and with just one full season at the club, Wrexham allowed Walters to sign for Chester. There he finally began to rediscover some of the potential shown at the outset of his professional career and he secured a 2007 move to Ipswich in the Championship.
Three seasons of featuring prominently for the Tractor Boys, during which he became recognised as one of the best performers in the Championship, resulted in Walters winning a move to Stoke and with it another chance to prove himself at Premier League level.
The subsequent and emphatic manner in which Walters has continued to take hold of this chance is not only indicative of his ability but also points to a player enormously grateful for the opportunity. Tony Pulis paid £2.75m for the striker last summer and the faith he showed in Walters’ ability to enhance a powerful Stoke squad has been unquestionably justified in the intervening period. The club’s joint top scorer last season - matching the 12-goal haul of Kenwyne Jones - and winner of goal of the season in England for his majestic strike in Stoke’s 5-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Bolton, are accolades which Walters can undoubtedly take great pride in. At the very least it should ease any lingering regret the striker may have over the series of disappointments experienced earlier in his career.
Eclipsing the achievements of his first campaign with Stoke, and removing any suspicion that he is a one-season wonder, appear to be extremely high on the agenda of Walters as illustrated by the focused way he is going about his business on the park. Walters has continued to menace opposition defences in the opening exchanges of this season as well as scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victories over Hajduk Split in Europe and in the last outing against Liverpool, when his superb performance outshone the debut of high profile signing, Peter Crouch. There is every indication that Walters’ career is now as rapidly on the rise as it was in decline when he found himself sliding into the fourth tier of English Football just four years ago.
Although he has done it in a rather arduous and unlikely way, Walters deserves all the credit thrown his direction for establishing himself as a dependable performer at the highest level. He remains a symbol of encouragement to other players struggling in the lower professional leagues and proves that resurrecting a career is not impossible and that where there is a will there can also be a way.
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