Although many bemoan the often graceless and unstylish methods of Tony Pulis’ Stoke City, there is no arguing that they’re extremely difficult to play against. In their third year as a Premier League stalwart, the club’s rise reached a whole new level last Sunday as they hammered a helpless Bolton 5-0 to reach their first ever FA Cup final.
Jonathan Walters, who was playing at League Two side Chester City a little more than three years ago, grabbed two of the goals for The Potters. Since his lower league days he has grafted and crafted his way to the top and now looks to have held on to a starting attacking role in Stoke’s starting lineup, as well as firmly propelling himself into Fantasy Premier League Managers’ thoughts as the season draws to a close.
Walters recently spoke about his remarkable achievements in a career where he’s become known as a bit of a journeyman:
“You’ve always got to believe in where you want to be. You’ve got to work hard and it pays off in the end. It’s been a step up for me coming up from the Championship, but I also know I’ve got a lot of hard work to do to stay in the side. But there’s also a lot of hard work gone into that from everyone in the weeks leading up and it paid off.”
With form and confidence firmly on his side, Walters could be a shoe-in for points over the next two Gameweeks as Stoke face an attractive double against Midlands opposition and then take a trip to Blackpool.
Listed as a midfielder on the FPL game, Walters is currently supporting Kenwyne Jones in an impressive forward pairing and this out of position factor gives him added FPL zeal. It’s not just in the FA Cup where Walters is impressing, he has scored 2 and assisted 2 in his last 3 Premier League games as well as fetching 5 Bonus Points. If there was ever a time to include the unfashionable forward in your FPL team, it would be now.
With a valuation of just 5.5, Walters offers few stumbling blocks – only the consideration of team-mate Matt Etherington for the double gameweek provides a distraction. Two Stoke signings may well be overkill so a decision is likely to be required here. While Etherington’s has a strong influence on Stoke’s overall play and offers set-piece and spot-kick involvement, Walters has outstanding form and comes in cheaper than the former Spurs man. Many Fantasy Managers are likely to go into the gameweek with one of the two Potters midfield options – Walters is likely to be the choice of those looking a potentially more explosive differential.
