Ipswich Town have signed striker James Norwood for League One football after he fired Tranmere Rovers to National League and League Two promotions. STUART WATSON looks at five front men whose careers took off after similar moves.
GRANT HOLT
After their relegation into League One (2009), Norwich City turned to a 28-year-old striker who had scored plenty of goals in the fourth-tier.
Holt has just bagged 28 times in all competitions for Shrewsbury Town. He cost a reported £400k. It proved to be an absolute snip.
The burly front man had been released by hometown club Carlisle as a kid. He worked as a tyre-fitter when playing for Workington and in a factory when representing Barrow.
A move to Sheffield Wednesday didn't work out. He'd done okay in League One for Nottingham Forest over three years. His big successes had come in the fourth-tier with Rochdale and the Shrews. There were question marks as to whether he could do it higher up the pyramid.
Working under Paul Lambert at Carrow Road he struck up a fine on-field relationship with Wes Hoolahan as the Canaries earned back-to-back promotions before securing two mid-table Premier League finishes.
He scored 30 goals in the League One promotion season, 23 in the Championship campaign and a further 25 in the top-flight for the Canaries before making a £2m move to Wigan.
Speaking about Holt in 2012, Lambert said: "His career's been up and down and he was in the lower reaches, but the last three years have been an incredible high for him. He's getting the rewards for all that hard work, effort, graft, disappointments, knocks, all that."
RICKIE LAMBERT
After dropping into League One (2010), Southampton signed a 27-year-old with a proven goalscoring record in the lower divisions.
Lambert, who worked in a beetroot bottling plant early in his career, bobbed between the fourth and third-tier, scoring goals for Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers.
The Saints raised eyebrows when forking out £1m to land the old fashioned number nine off the back of a 29-goal campaign for the Gas.
He netted 36 times in his debut campaign for the South Coast club, then continued to be prolific as back-to-back promotions into the Premier League were secured.
England caps (11) and spells at Liverpool and West Brom followed.
STEVE MORISON
The physical front man was 26 and had next to no Football League experience when third-tier club Millwall came calling in 2009.
Having failed to make the breakthrough at boyhood club Northampton Town, Morison scored 41 goals over two seasons at Bishop's Stortford (Conference South) and then 86 goals over three seasons at Stevenage Borough (Conference Premier).
The England C international fired the Lions to League One promotion in his debut campaign at The Den with 23 goals.
He went on to play in the Premier League for Norwich City, in the Championship for Leeds before moving back to Millwall. Still playing at the age of 35.
GLENN MURRAY
Began his football career with brief spells playing at Wilmington Hammerheads (second-tier of American football) and Barrow (Conference North). Then helped Carlisle win promotions in the Conference National and League Two,
He would have to wait for his League One chance though. Was immediately loaned, then sold, to League Two club Rochdale. Scoring 26 goals in two seasons led to a £300k switch to Brighton in 2007 at the age of 24.
Murray became a proven third-tier striker during his four seasons with the Seagulls (57 goals). He moved to their rivals Crystal Palace and fired them to the Premier League with 31 goals in the 2012/13 campaign.
Returned to Brighton and, just last year, there was talk of him receiving an England call-up at the age of 34.
CRAIG MACKAIL-SMITH
Started at St Albans City (Isthmian League Premier Division), then built a reputation scoring goals in the Conference National for Dagenham & Redbridge (Conference National).
Was almost 23 when signed by League Two side Peterborough in January 2007. Scored regularly as Posh enjoyed back-to-back promotions in the Championship.
Career peaked at Brighton before he dropped back down the leagues with Luton and Wycombe.
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