Wigan Athletic may have hit the jackpot with January addition based on Fulham evidence | OneFootball

Owen Dale looked like a real livewire on Wigan Athletic debut against Premier League Fulham

Wigan Athletic have endured a largely underwhelming League One season, and sit 16th in the table, ahead of Saturday afternoon's clash with fellow Greater Manchester side Stockport County.

The Hatters are firmly within the play-off places, so the Latics, who have won just one of their last four third tier games, could be in for a tough afternoon at the Brick Community Stadium.

But while Shaun Maloney's men sit seven points above the drop zone in League One, they did manage to enjoy an FA Cup run, and reached the fourth round where they met Premier League, Fulham, last Saturday.

During the first half, the Latics could not get near their top-flight opponents, as the likes of Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira ran the show from midfield for Marco Silva's side.

The Premier League side deservedly held a 1-0 half-time lead, which came thanks to Rodrigo Muniz's goal on 23 minutes, after the striker was picked out by a well crafted pass from Ryan Sessegnon.

But in the second half, the Latics made their Premier League opponents work hard for a 2-1 victory, as Jonny Smith scored a stunning equaliser from long range for the League One hosts.

The scores were level for just five minutes, before Muniz bagged his second of the game just 10 minutes on from the half-time interval, but Maloney's men threw everything at their efforts to find another leveller.

Fulham evidence shows that Owen Dale could be a top January addition for Wigan Athletic

Just after the hour mark, Maloney made a double substitution, as January additions Owen Dale and Ronan Darcy were brought on to replace Maleace Asamoah and Baba Adeeko.

The Latics did have a busy January transfer window, as they welcomed not only Dale and Darcy, but also the likes of striker Will Goodwin, signed on loan from Oxford United, and defender Josh Robinson, who joined on a permanent basis from Arsenal.

However, there is a clear risk that Wigan's winter window could be defined by the exit of former star man Thelo Aasgaard, who left to join Luton Town, in a move first reported by Football League World.

But, when he came off the bench against Fulham on Saturday, Dale looked like a real handful and excited the Brick Community Stadium faithful virtually every time he had the ball at his feet during a half-an-hour cameo.

The man on loan from Oxford portrayed himself as being an exciting, direct winger who was not afraid to take on full-back Timothy Castagne, who boasts bags of Premier League experience.

He also struck an impressive shot from long range, which came agonisingly close to beating Cottagers' keeper Steven Benda, who had no option but to tip it wide for a corner.

Dale could be a real asset for Wigan Athletic in League One

The former Portsmouth man made a fantastic account of himself on his Latics debut, despite the fact he was handed the tricky task of making a substitute appearance against Premier League opponents.

Virtually every time Dale picked up the ball, he appeared as though he was going to cause the Cottagers' backline all sorts of problems, despite the clear gap in the football pyramid between the two sides.

Last season, the wideman helped parent club Oxford win promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs by notching one goal and two assists in 18 third tier appearances.

The quality he displayed in Latics colours on debut in the FA Cup shows that he should also have what it takes to help Maloney's men in their quest to climb the league table, and he also demonstrated that he could be an upgrade on fellow winger Silko Thomas, who was on loan with Wigan before having to return to Leicester City due to a season-ending injury.