Kelvin Langmead is confident of being fit for the pre-season scramble for starting places at Shrewsbury Town after making encouraging progress from injury.The 23-year-old was ruled out for the final six weeks of last season with a niggling knee problem which was failing to clear-up.

A series of scans failed to reveal the source of the problem, but Langmead today confirmed he is confident of being ready to resume training when the Town squad return on July 3.

“The knee actually feels really good,” he said.

“I went away for a few days straight after the end of the season and when I came back I was straight in at the club with Rachel (Greenley, head of physio).

“I did some running with her and didn’t feel any problems and I’ve been down the gym and running this week and it’s felt fine.

“It’s a big boost because it was a worry when nobody quite knew what the problem was.

“You always think in the back of your mind that it could break down again when you try and run on it – it but there hasn’t been a problem.

“I pretty much had two months when I was doing nothing on it apart from leg weights at the gym and that rest seems to have done the trick.

“At this stage there should be no problem with being fit for the start of pre-season which is great news for me.”

Langmead had been a League Two ever present for Town before the knee problem arrived at the end of March.

But, with Shrewsbury’s future in the Football League guaranteed, manager Paul Simpson took the decision to withdraw the centre half for the remainder of last season with a view to him returning for the 2008-9 campaign with the injury fully resolved.

By James Garrison