Wigan Athletic ace 'will be up there with best in League One'

Wyke, 28, has yet to score in six matches since joining Latics from promotion rivals Sunderland in July.

But the standing ovation he received after being substituted against Doncaster at the weekend underlined the fans’ appreciation for his efforts – and his manager is not losing any sleep about his goal tally.

“I think Charlie epitomised our performance and our result on Saturday,” said Richardson.

“I thought he was excellent, as he has been during his short time with us. He knows we have a squad around the pitch that needs him to be firing, and I thought he gave another big, big performance as a No.9.

“He got us up the pitch fantastically well, and it’s no coincidence Will Keane pops up with two goals, with much of the defensive attention possibly on Charlie.”

Despite giving his all for the team in a lone striking role, Richardson is well aware Wyke will be desperate to break his duck.

“Centre-forwards are always like that aren’t they, and he’ll have been scoring goals ever since he had a ball at his feet,” the Latics boss added.

“I have no qualms, the staff have no qualms, and the other players don’t have any qualms about him not scoring yet. We all know how valuable he is to what we’re trying to do here.

“And come the end of the season, Charlie will be up there with the top goalscorers in this division.”

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