Words John Edwards | Pictures Various

Phil Parkinson has made a double breakthrough on the loan front after landing central defender Charlie Olson in a temporary deal from Blackburn Rovers and extending Liam Humbles' stay with Altrincham for a further month.

In a timely boost for Alty's Emirates FA Cup aspirations, both players have been declared eligible for tomorrow's Fourth Round Qualifying meeting with Solihull Moors and both are in contention for a place in an eagerly-anticipated tie that kicks off at 3pm at The J.Davidson Stadium.

Tenacious midfielder Humbles has made a favourable impression since arriving on loan from Salford City, and his continuing presence will provide valuable extra options for Alty boss Phil as games carry on coming thick and fast for the Robins over the next few weeks.

Similarly, the addition of Liverpool-born 19-year old centre-back Olson, who skippered Blackburn Rovers under-21s in their opening National League Cup tie against Alty on Tuesday night, will further reinforce the Robins' rearguard for a tough run of fixtures that lie in wait.

Commenting on the acquisition of Olson, who turns 20 later this month, on a loan arrangement until the end of November, Phil said: "Charlie is a really exciting young prospect, and it's great to have him on board.

"He is a real leader, a big character, who is reminiscent of that Alty legend John King, in that he's from that kind of mould. He's a no-nonsense type of defender but one with real quality as well.

"I'm really excited to see what he can bring to us. Even though he's still a young lad, he's actually old beyond his years, and when you speak to him, it's hard to credit he's only 19.

"He's had a great upbringing at Blackburn, and hopefully we can be a platform for him to show just how good he can be at this level, because he has a big, big future in the game."

Phil was just as pleased to be keeping Humbles for another month after the young midfielder's impressive combination of energy and composure on the ball consistently took the eye in his initial weeks with the Robins.

"Liam has done really well for us and given us great quality in possession," he said. "He's a lad I have really enjoyed working with, and I hope there are more appearances ahead for him. Hopefully, he will get more games under his belt and use us as a platform to get himself closer to Salford City's first team, which is his main goal."

In other loan news, three of our youngsters are on their way out to pick up more game time and experience in the Northern Premier League.

Lucas Weaver is returning to Bamber Bridge after his initial one-month spell produced four goals for Brig.

Lucas had a really productive loan spell at Bamber Bridge last month, and their manager Jamie Milligan was really impressed with him. We really believe in our pathway and our development of players and Lucas is a great example of a player making improvements while out on loan - Phil Parkinson

Owen German & Joel Bailey are both returning to Witton Albion after impressive initial spells with the Northwich-based club last month.

A real positive one for Owen. Our development and pathway is certainly going in the right direction. He's probably the closest to being ready for the National League. He just needs to keep believing and progressing, training hard and he could be a future Altrincham captain - Phil Parkinson

At the moment it's about Joel's development. He's had a very advanced loan period for a first year pro, and made giant strides already with Witton. He's got a long way to go but we have a very definitive pathway for Joel, and we believe going back to Witton will really help him to develop further - Phil Parkinson

Many thanks to Spencer Hayes Group & Darren Harrison (Lucas Weaver) and Ian Watmore (Owen German) for their player sponsorships this season.