Fans queue up to get autographs from the Shrewsbury Town players

About 2,000 football supporters flocked to Shrewsbury’s Prostar Stadium to be pictured with the FA Cup at the weekend.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club threw open the doors to its stadium in Meole Brace yesterday for its annual fun day.

Some fans had their football appetites whetted ahead of the new season by watching the players take part in a training session on the pitch.

Others made a dash for the chance to be pictured with one of the most famous pieces of silverware in the football world.

The event, organised by the club, also saw supporters enjoy tours of the ground and behind the scenes areas.

Town mascot Lenny the Lion also entertained supporters during the fun day, which ran from 11am until about 4pm.

Roger Groves, chairman of the ShrewsTRUST supporters’ group said the day was well attended by members of his group as well as those from other supporters’ groups. He said: “We were there with the FA Cup and people were queueing up to see it and get their pictures taken.

“I would say at least a couple of thousand people were there but most were coming and going throughout the day.

“There was a steady flow of people coming to be pictured with the cup and it was a very good day.

“There were lots of regular faces there but it was also nice to meet some of the people you recognise but never get to talk to. We were selling them the virtues of joining supporters’ groups like ours.”

Jon Harris, Shrewsbury Town FC general manager, said: “It was a fantastic day even if the wet weather spoiled it a little bit.

“We had more than 1,000 people through the doors during the day.

“The FA Cup was a popular attraction and it was here all day.

“The players were doing a training session and they stopped to sign autographs with supporters.

“I think we had about 450 people taking stadium tours and we picked up some new sponsorship deals from the day so it was a real success all round.”

The Shrews take on Burton Albion in their first clash of the new season on August 8 at the Prostar Stadium.

By Tom Johannsen