Maloney lifts lid on how Wigan Athletic star came in from the cold

The 23-year-old was the toast of the DW Stadium at the weekend as his first senior goal was enough to beat play-off chasing Blackpool.

It's a far cry from last season, when Smith had been loaned out by previous manager Leam Richardson to non-league Torquay United, where he made only seven appearances before the deal was cut short.

With his career in limbo, Smith asked Maloney - who had just been installed as Latics manager - if he could rejoin his colleagues at Christopher Park.

And the rest, as they say, is history, with Smith having become an integral part of the squad this term.

"He's been amazing since I came in, really," acknowledged Maloney. "Scotty's not had a simple path. It's not been a case of youth team, to reserve team, to first team.

"He went out on loan last year to Torquay, he didn't play, and you have to work even harder to get another chance at - and this is no disrespect to Torquay - at a much higher level, when you haven't been playing two or three levels below.

"I remember one of my first days in the job, he was back from Torquay, and he came in to see me to ask if he could train with the first team...at that point, he wasn't even training with the first team.

"And this season, he's been brilliant, he really has. He's played midfield, right-back, right wing-back...today was quite tough for him, because I asked him to defend in a wide area but, when we had the ball, attack as a '10'.

"But how you see him play is exactly the way he trains, he's a credit to the Academy. He's a massive Wigan fan too, so he deserves a day like today."

Maloney last week called on someone to step up and rally the crowd in the absence of the injured fan favourite Callum McManaman, and Smith played like he saw that role as a personal mission.

"He did!" added the Latics boss. "And you know , you can sense, that when he plays, when he goes into a tackle...he's one of them, he really is one of them.

"He doesn't speak about it much, but he was at all the big games when we were in the Premier League, he was at the FA Cup final...and I bumped into him at the rugby league Grand Final last year.

"He's a proper Wigan boy, and it's amazing to have someone like that at our club.

"I know him and Callum McManaman are really close...when Callum first came back, he was playing with the reserves, and they struck up a little bond.

"But he's a perfect example of where attitude can get you in the game. "He's really aggressive in the tackle and, when he has the ball, he has real quality in possession.

"He understands space, he understands when to pass it...he scored an amazing goal in pre-season against Hearts.

"He has talent, he just needed maybe a bit of belief. When he's played, he's produced performances that show he has talent."