Shrewsbury Town’s new stadium has been given a big thumbs-up as an international venue – by the manager who guided England’s women to a 1-0 victory over Spain.

Hope Powell’s side are well placed in their European Championship qualifying group after this deserved victory played out in front of a stadium record crowd of 8,753.

Karen Carney’s second half strike was enough for England, who now top their group with a 100 per cent record after three games.

And the England coach was delighted with the facilities and the support her side received on their visit to Shropshire.

“The stadium is fantastic and I’m really pleased we came here,” said Powell.

“The playing surface was absolutely excellent and the crowd really got behind the girls and made some noise.

“That was great to see, and it really gives the girls a lift to play with support like that.”

Town chief executive Steve Wellbeloved was also delighted with the success of the night, which went off without a hitch.

“Quite a lot of people came here from around the country so there were a lot of challenges for us,” he said. “It’s been good for the club and good for the town.

“I’ve met a lot of people who came down and made a weekend of it, which is great.

“We’ll have a full debrief now, but I think it went very smoothly and we’re very happy.”

Wellbeloved hopes the stadium can now be used for future international events and has been encouraged by the early feedback he has received.

“From what I can tell, the FA were very pleased and I know the UEFA representatives were very pleased with the quality of the pitch and the facilities,” he added.