played the full ninety minutes in what was a 4–1 win over West Bromwich Albion. At the start of the 2004–05 season he was loaned out to League One club Torquay United, where he played six games. After returning from Plainmoor he played two further games for Stoke, making substitute appearances in 1–0 wins over Coventry City and Millwall. Oldham Athletic He returned to Oldham on loan in March 2005, playing nine times until the end of the season when he was transferred from Stoke to Oldham Athletic for a fee of £50,000. However, he made only 21 appearances in 2005–06. Never fitting in at the club, in May 2006 he put in a transfer request, which was accepted. He later claimed he had 'fallen out of love' with football at Boundary Park. Stockport County On 3 July 2006, Owen joined Stockport County on a season-long loan deal. He enjoyed a successful 2006–07 season, playing 42 games, including a FA Cup Third Round tie at Premier League Watford. He was voted the club's player of the season and joined Stockport permanently for an undisclosed fee in June 2007. In the 2007–08 season, Owen went on to captain Stockport back to League One, lifting the play-off trophy after a 3–2 win over Rochdale at Wembley Stadium. In the final he actually played with a face-mask due to an injury. However the season was not a complete success, as County suffered a shock defeat to Isthmian League Staines Town in the FA Cup First Round. In October 2008 he went out on loan to Yeovil Town after a public falling-out with manager Jim Gannon. After the loan was extended in November he stated his aim to sign a permanently contract with the "Glovers", though the next week he ended up joining Dean Glover's Port Vale. Port Vale Despite starting his career at Stoke City, in November 2008 Owen agreed to join local rivals Port Vale on loan until January 2009, with a view to a permanent deal. He made his Vale debut on the day the loan move was agreed, helping the "Valiants" to keep a clean sheet against Barnet despite barely getting chance to meet his new teammates. Owen was expected to sign a permanent deal with Port Vale in January 2009 but was unexpectedly recalled by Stockport in order to negotiate a settlement for the remainder of his contract. This