Former Shrewsbury Town players who were part of the club’s promotion-winning team 50 years ago have spoken of their hope that the current side will win promotion on Saturday.

Six people involved with the 1958 to 1959 team promoted from the old Fourth Division made the comments at yesterday’s Nostalgia Night. Ray Russell, 79, played inside right, making nearly 170 appearances and scoring more than 50 goals.

He said that the players could just do “the best they can” on Saturday.

Mr Russell, who lives in Bloxwich near Walsall, added that he hoped Town would get promoted this weekend.

He said: “I would be pleased to see them get there without any doubt and will be coming to see them next year and hopefully they will have achieved it.

“I enjoyed my time here and I think that’s the main thing in football.”

Ken Tucker, from Merthyr Tydfil, also attended the Nostalgia Night. Now 73, he played right wing for Town making nearly 50 appearances. He said he was “delighted” the club had reached the final. He added: “I think fate will decide it. It will be ironic if they do it as they got promoted 50 years ago, 30 years ago and hopefully now.

“I would like to wish all the players luck for promotion. It will be great for the team.”

He added: “I have very fond memories of Shrewsbury. The promotion season was the best season. It was a very good team.”

Dave Pountney was only a teenager when he was part of the team to secure promotion.

Now 69 and living just outside Shrewsbury, Mr Pountney played at wing half and appeared more than 170 times for Town.

Speaking about the current team he said: “I think they were always going to be there or thereabouts this season.

“Having not won away from home for sometime, the three they won away was good news. Now they are away again, so that might be good news again. They have a good chance.” He said he felt the team he played in did well because it was a settled side for much of the season.

Keith Stephan, now 75, played full-back and was with the Town’s reserves during the 1958-59 season.

Mr Stephan, who now lives in the Telford area, stayed with Town for five years. He said: “Shrewsbury is the first result I look for on a Saturday. I would like to wish them luck.”

Arthur Mann, 89, and now living in Shrewsbury, was coaching with Shrewsbury Town during the 1958 to 1959 season.

He said: “It’s hard work to get up and it’s harder work to stay up. I hope they get there.

“I’ve always followed their results and get the paper to read them.” Speaking about the team’s season so far he said: “It’s very good, but there’s always room for improvement.”

John Draycott, now 72, was on the books of the club during the promotion-winning season of 1958 to 1959 but was unable to play as he suffered tuberculosis and lost a lung.

Although he did not play for Town again he continued to play football until he was 42, mainly in the Welsh League, despite his earlier illness.

Mr Draycott, a centre half from Shrewsbury, spent five years with the club which he enjoyed, although he wishes it could have ended better than it did.

He said he felt the current team had “done well, especially over the last few games”.

“I believe they will do it this time, especially with the young goalkeeper they have,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mal Starkey also made comments having spanned the decades with Shrewsbury Town.

He originally joined as an inside right and played for the club from 1959 to 1962, joining after the promotion which came at the end of the 1958 to 1959 season.

He then joined Chester City but was forced to stop playing due to serious illness.

In the late 1960s he became secretary of Shrewsbury Town, which he remained as until 2002 and last year he became president.

He said the current team had done “tremendous” and added that although he didn’t like to make predictions, in his “heart” he thinks the team will win on Saturday.

“I hope all the supporters have a lovely day and the result favours us at the end,” he said.