Wigan Athletic striker allowed to join fellow north-west outfit

The 20-year-old has forced his way into the first-team picture this term after joining from non-league Guiseley in the summer of 2022.

And he's been allowed to join the 'other Latics' for the festive period to secure some more senior football ahead of the second half of the campaign.

“I’m really pleased to be here," he said. "There’s a good group of lads and a fantastic manager so I can’t wait to get started.

“The manager said he’s been following me for a while, he likes how I am both on and off the ball, and hopefully I can show what I can do here.

“I’m an aggressive striker, I like to press, run the channels and try to bring some energy to the attack.

“I’ve been at Wigan for just over a year and have started to break into the first-team squad.

"I was really pleased to sign a three-year deal for them in the summer, and I want to kick on now and start to play my best football.

“I’ve got some important minutes at Wigan recently, but I want to get some more game-time and experience, and make the most of this chance.”

The former England Schoolboys skipper - who signed a new three-year deal with Wigan last summer - spent the second half of loan with Ross County in Scotland.

Wigan Sporting Director Gregor Rioch said: “It is a brilliant opportunity for Josh to join a fantastic football club and gain first-team football at a high level.

“There is a lot of football to be played in the National League over the forthcoming month, and we’re hoping Josh can make a real impact during his time at Boundary Park.

“We’ve been really impressed with Josh’s contributions in the first team this season, and we look forward to welcoming him back with some additional senior experience under his belt.”

Oldham manager Micky Mellon added: “Josh is a really highly-rated player who is the type of character we want to have at the club.

“He started off in the non-league, and has made a very good impression during his time at Wigan.

“He’s a striker who puts himself about and he has a lot of good qualities, which we believe will help us become more of a force.

“We’ve felt it was necessary to bring in some fresh faces, and we want to do more if the opportunities come up."

Stones has made nine appearances for Wigan this season, scoring two goals against Leicester Under-21s and Fleetwood Town.

Indeed, Wigan boss Shaun Maloney revealed earlier this year he’d turned down offers from League Two clubs to take him on loan over the summer.

"Stones has that different profile, he's got that power and strength but he's also got the speed to go in behind,” said Maloney.

"He's actually a really infectious character, he's a great boy to work with.

"He works extremely hard in training, very popular with the other players.

"And it's really there for him to go and get his career kickstarted at a senior level."