Hall aims to nail down Town deal

Paul Simpson Midfielder Asa Hall is confident of finalising his permanent move to Shrewsbury Town by the end of this week.

Hall was the one survivor of the initial cull of out-of-contract and loan players carried out by manager Paul Simpson last week.

The 21-year-old was signed on loan for the remainder of the season from Birmingham in January and - despite seeing his recent appearances hindered by a kidney infection - has scored three goals.

Hall was due to sign a permanent deal - believed to be for three years - under the final days of former boss Gary Peters’ reign, but saw his circumstances change with the managerial switch.

But he has since proved his worth to Simpson and Hall is confident of completing the finishing touches on a 12-month deal, with a one-year-extension, in the next few days.

“It’s still on-going at the moment but hopefully it will all be done by the end of the week,” said Hall.

“There is just a bit of a point about my contract at Birmingham but it’s not a major problem.

“I will be really pleased when it’s all done because it will be a brilliant opportunity for me.

“I’ve had five years at Birmingham and I’ve been close to the first team for about three years.

“But when you haven’t had your chance in that period, it’s time to move on.

“Birmingham have given me the platform for my career and hopefully I can push on to bigger and better things at Shrewsbury.

“I think I have done okay in my loan period but I’m confident I have got so much more to offer.”

Meanwhile, Simpson has taken steps to ensure his squad are in the best shape possible when they return to pre-season training.

“I spoke to all of them on Monday to say what we are going to try and do, starting on July 3,” Simpson said.

“They have three or four weeks of rest and they are then expected to stick to programmes they have been given.

“We have to be able to hit the ground running.”

By James Garrison