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FLW's Stoke City fan pundit has highlighted which player has been the biggest surprise this season

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City haven’t had the best of campaigns, with the team struggling to meet pre-season expectations.

Mark Robins has been brought in as the third manager to oversee the side this year, replacing Narcis Pelach in January after the controversial sacking of Steven Schumacher at the start of the season.

The Potters have found their way into a relegation battle, and will be looking to string together strong results to end the campaign in order to avoid the drop.

It’s been a season that has certainly not gone how many supporters would’ve expected or hoped when it all began in August, but there could still be some positives to take away from it all.

Sam Gallagher, Stoke City surprise verdict

When asked which player has been the biggest surprise this season, FLW’s Stoke fan pundit Daniel Buxton named Sam Gallagher.

While injury issues have prevented him from making a bigger impact, he believes the forward has been a strong addition to the side and is hopeful he can come good if he stays fit.

“Player who has surprised the most this season, actually in a positive way, is Sam Gallagher,” Buxton told Football League World.

“He’s played very little, but when he has played he’s been a real influence.

“He’s been a major physical presence, something we missed when he hasn’t been available.

“Like I said, he’s only made a handful of appearances and he’s had a real stop-start season with injuries but his presence, his contribution when he has been fit and on the pitch has really helped us.

“There were a lot of question marks over the move, a lot of head scratching when we made the transfer in the summer.

“And, like I say, if we had kept him fit, his actual ability and contribution, he would’ve been well worth the money but we just need to work on his fitness issues for next season.”

Gallagher got back on the score sheet on Saturday afternoon with a brace off the bench, bringing Stoke level from 2-0 down against Coventry City, but a stoppage time winner from Bobby Thomas cost Robins' side from coming away from the game with something.

Stoke need Gallagher to put fitness issues behind him

Stoke need results to avoid falling into the relegation zone, and Gallagher being back and fit is a big boost for that.

If he can stay available for the rest of the season, then that will be a big boost for Robins’ team, and can help him build a good platform for going into the next campaign.

The 29-year-old gives Stoke an added dimension to their forward options, and has done well when available, with his performance against Coventry in particular offering a lot of encouragement.

If he can stay fit, then perhaps more goal scoring exploits like on Saturday can help keep the Potters out of the relegation zone.