Oldham Athletic Eye Move For Ex-Lincoln City Loanee

Oldham Athletic are closing in on signing Nottingham Forest forward Joe Gardner on a loan deal.

The Irish youth international has been afforded multiple opportunities to make a name for himself away from the City Ground, having represented Lincoln City and Mansfield Town.

Gardner Makes Step Down

However, both of those spells were tricky for the 21-year-old to establish himself at the League One level, scoring just twice across 28 appearances at Sincil Bank and Field Mill, where he spent the entirety of last season.

Now, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, he is set to drop down into League Two with Oldham Athletic, who are engaging in talks with Forest over a loan move for Gardner.

Micky Mellon’s side had a strong opening campaign back in the EFL, with their strong defensive record propelling them to an outside chance of reaching the playoffs, eventually ending in 10th place.

The Latics are in need of new striking options following both Michael Mellon’s return to Burnley and Kai Payne’s return to Wigan Athletic after loan spells, while forward Kian Harratt has been released following the ending of his contract.

His move to the Stags was one of many deals Nigel Clough’s side struck with the former employers of his father, having also recruited midfielder Jamie McDonnell and defender Kyle McAdam in the summer window, though neither stuck around with the former sold to Oxford United, and the latter earning another loan spell at Northampton Town.

New Challenge Needed

Joe Gardner has had a tough 18 months or so in terms of his experience out on loan, with Lincoln City and Mansfield Town affording him few regular opportunities due to the strength of his squadmates.

For the Imps, Michael Skubala put his faith in both James Collins and Jovon Makama to lead the line, with Gardner only playing a supporting role, with only four of his 11 appearances being from the start.

At Mansfield, meanwhile, injury issues dogged him for months over the festive period, meaning he was unable to establish himself as a regular under Nigel Clough.

While it is unfortunate that he will be unable to test himself in the third tier once again, moving into League Two could be the best path forward for his career, and at Oldham Athletic he will be at a team that has some promise heading into next season.

Micky Mellon has built a formidable defensive outfit at Boundary Park, which put them in good standing, and retaining that core will be crucial to their fortunes over the coming campaign.

However, it was his attacking department which perhaps hindered their full potential, so adding a striker like Gardner, alongside some established options, could be the fix the Latics need to challenge for promotion.