Oldham Athletic have signed Southend United wing-back Gus Scott-Morriss on a two-year deal, bringing in a player who scored the winning penalty in the FA Trophy final at Wembley earlier this month. The 29-year-old has an option for a further year in the contract, though Oldham have not said whether that clause is in their favour or the player’s.
Scott-Morriss arrives with a record of 45 goals in 162 National League appearances for Southend, a return that stands out for a wing-back and points to the attacking drive Oldham are hoping to add. In his final match for Southend, the former winger stepped up to seal the trophy against Wealdstone, a finish that capped the latest chapter in a career spent entirely in non-league football until now.
For Oldham, the signing comes after a 2025-26 season that ended with a 10th-place finish and left them 10 points outside the play-off positions in their first campaign back in the Football League after three years in the National League. That gave Mellon’s side a clear gap to close, and Scott-Morriss said the manager made the target plain when they spoke.
“I’ll bring lots of energy, hopefully lots of output and I’ll try to get a few goals and assists - but I’m a team player, I want to win,” Scott-Morriss said. He added: “We want to get out of this division, the gaffer [Micky Mellon] made it clear to me that is what we want to do.”
The move gives Oldham a player whose numbers suggest end product as well as work rate, and it also gives Scott-Morriss a chance to test himself at a higher level after years in the lower leagues. The unanswered detail is the structure of the extra-year option, but the bigger point is simpler: Oldham are acting like a side intent on pushing out of the division rather than settling in it.
