Anthony Gerrard signed for the club on Monday morning, but was only announced as an Oldham Athletic player an hour before kick off on Tuesday night.
It proved to be a well kept secret from inside the club and lifted the supporters ahead of kick off in Tuesday night’s victory over Shrewsbury Town.
So, how did the move first come about?
Gerrard said: “I found out about it on Sunday when I spoke to Simon Corney and he spoke about what he wanted from me and I spoke about what I wanted from the deal.
“He said he values the club’s League One status highly and I want to help him and the club keep hold of it so it’s got off to a great start.”
Returning to the club he left five days previous, he revealed it came to a surprise to his former teammates: “I got a few strange faces and a lot of double takes which was funny to be honest.”
However, the defender proved to be a rock at the heart of the defence on Tuesday night and helped Latics gain a vital three points on their relegation rivals.
“I think it was a must-not lose game, and we got the win which is a bonus,” he admitted.
"We need to kick on and get the magic number which we need. There was 69 points to be won before tonight and we’ve got off to a good start now.”
It was good to see that the 29-year-old had not lost his sense of humour, stating he should be awarded a statue outside the football club.
“I came in last year when we were in a bit of a predicament and I thought I was getting one then but if we stay up then I’m definitely getting one!”
Welcome back, Anthony!
Watch the full interview on Latics PlayerHD.