Gary McDonald made a goalscoring farewell as he found the target in his final game in a Latics shirt.

The Scot will move back north of the border this summer to join SPL side Aberdeen in time for the new season.

And he was given a fantastic send-off after scoring Athletic's fourth goal in the 4-1 rout of Crewe at the Alexandra Stadium.

Manager John Sheridan opted to play McDonald from the start and was delighted to see the midfielder go out on a high.

"It was a hard decision," Sheridan admitted.  "I was thinking of leaving Gary out, but he's a great lad and at the end of the day I made the right choice.

"I wanted him to play and go out in the right way in front of a big travelling support.  Obviously I'm disappointed he's leaving and we offered him a two-year contract.

"But it's hard to compete with other teams who are offering a lot more money.  A similar thing happened last year when we lost some big players.

"Money talks and Gary has to think of his future.  I wish him all the best, he's a top lad and I hope he goes on to better things."