Although Mark Robins didn’t sign Adam Barton last August he believes the 21 year old Northern Ireland international has the talent to be great player for the club.
Barton penned a three year deal with Coventry City when he joined from Preston North End at the start of the current season, but under Robins the attacking midfielder has been used either as a substitute or when a first choice player has been out of contention. However Robins concedes that if Barton continues to play in a similar vein as he has been in his last few games, he may feature more often in the manager’s plans.
Robins told the Coventry Telegraph, "If he continues to be like he has been in the last couple of games and it’s easy to forget he’s still only young, he’s going to be a really good acquisition for us further down the line."
Barton scored a fabulous opening goal in the 3-1 away win at Colchester last Tuesday and later gave the assist for McGoldrick’s goal.
Robins continued, “He’s got to keep working hard because in the position we are in at the moment we have to be better at the other side of the game. Having said that, he can create opportunities for us, so he’s got to keep going the right way and play his way into the starting 11 because there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a really good, talented footballer and it’s great to have him in our armoury.
"So if we can work with him he can be a real asset in the future but it’s down to him now to show a work ethic and real desire to break in."
Coventry paid an undisclosed fee for Barton thought to be around £100,000 in the summer, the only player the club paid for as the other new players all joined on free transfers or on loan.
Barton said, "The gaffer has shown belief in me by putting me on and it’s nice to go on and contribute. I have spoken to him about it and he just told me to be patient. He said he needs to play a team that will grind out wins and that are hard working at the moment.
"I am not saying I am not hard working but there are two different sides to the game and some people are better at one side than the other. But we showed both sides on Saturday by keeping a clean sheet and scoring five goals.
"The manager likes me just behind the striker which is my favourite position and where I played most of my games when I was in the Championship. Steve Jennings and James Bailey are holding midfielders and I’m more of an attacking player but it’s a case of getting a few wins under our belts and pushing up the table and then we can start playing the way we want to."
Robins said, "He can play anywhere in midfield. He was bought to play in the diamond before I came in. He’s got that languid style that suits at times, calming the game down. He also hits the ball that well that there was no doubt in my mind that he’d hit the target when he scored on Saturday."