Report by John Edwards

Picture courtesy of Oldham Athletic

Altrincham have successfully concluded their quest for more width by completing a dramatic deadline-beating loan move for Oldham Athletic winger Luke Burgess.
The deadline for signings for this season, either permanent or temporary, was 5pm this afternoon, and the clock was ticking towards the all-important hour when everything was completed and the paperwork submitted to make Burgess an Alty player for the rest of the campaign.
The Liverpool-born winger, who turned 24 earlier this month, has an impressive record for laying on chances for others, as well converting a fair few himself, and he brings with him the added bonus of also being able to operate in the number 10 role.
After starting out in the youth system at Everton, he signed for Wigan Athletic in 2013, where his progress earned him his first professional contract in 2017 and a place in the their senior squad, leading to a first-team debut in a 2-1 EFL Cup win over Blackpool.
After three seasons in and around Wigan's first team, including loan spells at Chorley and Barrow, he joined Salford in January 2020.
The idea, at the start of the following season, was for him to be part of Salford's development squad. but after a loan spell with AFC Fylde, he returned to the Ammies in October 2020 and wasted no time making his mark at first team level.
His full Salford debut came the following month in a 3-0 win over Bradford City, and he could hardly have wished for a better start, as he opened the scoring in only the eighth minute with a close-range tap-in after the keeper parried a shot.
That wasn't the end of it, though. Just before half-time, he left one defender after another in his wake with a dazzling run and emphatic finish for a third Salford that the reporter covering the game for BBC Sport said 'the watching Ryan Giggs would have been proud of.'
Oldham snapped him up on a two-year contract last July, and Alty are delighted that the Latics have consented to a loan deal that has been completed in time for Luke to be available for Saturday's eagerly-awaited Non-League Day fixture with Southend United at The J.Davidson Stadium.