Ethan Walker hopes he can hit the ground running after joining Oldham on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 21-year-old spent the first half of the campaign at Morecambe, scoring once in eight substitute appearances in League Two.

Walker is now keen to help Oldham climb the National League table. Micky Mellon’s side currently sit in ninth place.

"I am really pleased,” he said. “The club's ambition to get back up into the Football League is something that I want to try to help do.

"The lads are great, the standard is really good and I can't wait to get started with the games. I know a few lads that are here already so it has made it very easy for me to settle in.

"They have got a good group and I am really looking forward to it. I feel really comfortable and I think they will get the best out of me."

The versatile attacker joined Rovers from Preston North End in the summer of 2022 and scored six goals for the Under-21 side in Premier League 2 last term.

"We believe that we need help for the group in wide areas and Ethan will provide that help to keep us moving forward,” said Mellon.

"He has been at Morecambe since the start of the season, which has been another good experience for him. He is well regarded at Blackburn and he will bring something extra in the wide areas.

"Again, it is an area we have wanted to add to and he has the sort of profile that we want to bring to the club."

Walker played alongside Mellon’s son, Michael, at the Mazuma Stadium during the first half of the campaign.

"I was playing with the gaffer's son at Morecambe so conversations happen here and there," the youngster explained.

"For the past two weeks with my agent and people talking to each other it's been very straight forward, very easy to come here and I'm very pleased that I have come here.

"I want goals, assists, to play and to just stay fit. Outside of that I want the team to do well and I want the ambition of going up to be there as well, just to be positive and just show people what I can do."

The 21-year-old has another interesting link to Oldham. His agent is David Eyres, who finished his career at Boundary Park, making more than 200 appearances for the club between 2000 and 2006.

"Eyresy has been my agent for the past seven years so when the message came about me coming to Oldham he was pleased with it,” he stated.

"He knows where the club wants to be, how big the club is. He loved his time here and said they have got a great fan base, the team is doing well so it is kind of a no brainer. Eyresy is a great guy and he has helped me a lot."

Oldham are back in league action on Saturday afternoon when they head to Meadowbank to take on 19th-place Dorking.

Mellon’s side have won three of their last four matches, beating Hartlepool 2-0 last time out thanks to goals from Josh Stones and Mike Fondop either side of half time.