Former Preston North End hero Joe Garner is making waves at Oldham Athletic with boss Micky Mellon loving his impact at Boundary Park.
For many PNE fans, Garner was the player of the 2010’s for PNE.
Relegation from the Championship hit PNE hard and the managerial spells of Phil Brown and Graham Westley didn’t do much to excite fans.
One of Westley’s final signings before being replaced by Simon Grayson was Joe Garner.
A boyhood PNE fan, Garner joined on a free transfer from Watford and actually struggled for a while.
Garner managed just one goal in his first 26 appearances for North End and it was difficult to see how he would become a success.
A last-gap goal against Tranmere Rovers in November 2013 set Garner on an incredible path, ending the 2013-14 season with 24 goals and one of the greatest strikers in play-off history.
Another 24 goals in the next season saw Garner and PNE win promotion at Wembley and those two seasons saw him become a hero.
Goalscorer, wind-up merchant, boyhood North End fan; it was the perfect mix for Garner to go from struggling striker to adored goal machine.
Garner left PNE in 2016 but remains loved at Deepdale to this day – and it’s lovely to see him shining in non-league football right now.
Joe Garner earning praise at Oldham Athletic
Garner joined Oldham Athletic in January, ending his fourth spell with Carlisle United in the process.
Now 35, Garner may not be at the peak of his powers anymore but we are still seeing him make an impact in front of goal.
Garner has already hit four goals in just seven games for Oldham, including a brace against Eastleigh last week.
Boss Micky Mellon took a punt on Garner and believes that his decision has now been justified.
Speaking to Oldham’s official website, Mellon suggested that Oldham fans maybe weren’t entirely convinced by the signing of Garner.
Mellon now feels that those fans will understand the deal as Garner is providing valuable experience and goals even as his career heads towards its final stages.
“I think that’s a bit of an understatement,” said Mellon when asked if Garner was coming into his own at Oldham. “I think there would have been a lot of people who would have raised an eyebrow when we first brought him in, and I can only imagine what people were saying because I’ve been in the game a long time, but I hope now that those people are turning around going ‘well, I know why we brought him’, he’s a really experienced player,” he added.
The Latics sit sixth in the National League and Garner would fire them back to League Two was the race for promotions heats up.