Rochdale fans' continuous prayers for a striker have been answered with former loan star Stephen Humphrys poised to return to the club on a permanent deal.
Tweets from our very own Fitzochris, as well as Pete O'Rourke and Southend Echo journalist Chris Phillips confirmed that Humphrys is set to join Dale from Southend United on Friday, subject to a medical.
The Dale have clearly been chasing Humphrys throughout the summer, with the 22 year old reportedly handing in a transfer request following two rejected bids from the North West club.
And now, the Oldham-born forward will have his wish granted with a return to his native Greater Manchester to join the club he scored three goals for during a loan spell in the 2017/2018 season, including one at Wembley Stadium in the 6-1 FA Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Humphrys' performances during that campaign helped the Dale to stave off relegation, but he was unable to repeat the feat with the Shrimpers last season as they plummeted into League Two alongside Bolton Wanderers and Tranmere Rovers.
Despite their dreadful performances as a team last term, Humphrys has been a shining light for Southend for the last two years, managing to find the net 11 times in 35 appearances in all competitions since moving to Roots Hall in 2018 - the last of those 11 coming via a stunning strike in Tuesday night's EFL Trophy match versus West Ham United's U23s.
Prior to the move to Essex, Humphrys had spent the early years of his career with Fulham, enjoying loan spells at Scunthorpe United and Shrewsbury Town as well as Dale.
His arrival relieves some of the pressure on Brian Barry-Murphy to replace Ian Henderson, although the Irish boss will still be looking to bolster his attacking options before the transfer window slams shut next month.