Bevan to fight for No 1 spot

New Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Scott Bevan has vowed to crank up the pressure on first choice stopper Glyn Garner - two years after being told his career was over.

Bevan made his first start in Shrewsbury colours in last night's 3-2 reserve defeat against Nottingham Forest at Oteley Road.

The 28-year-old accepted the blame for the opening goal, but has vowed to put that behind him and focus on re-establishing himself in the Football League after a stint on the non-League circuit.

"I was pleased to get a game under my belt for Shrewsbury but to concede three goals wasn't the best of starts," said the Southampton-born Bevan.

"I was disappointed with one of the goals but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The manager (Gary Peters) has been really good with me and he told me to focus on the positives.

"I will work hard to try and impress in training and when I get chance to play matches and I'm confident of being in a position to push Glyn Garner soon.

That Bevan remains in football at any level is an incredible achievement for a player who has overcome the health hurdles created by removal of a kidney following an horrendous accidental collision with Forest Green's Julian Alsop during a loan spell with Tamworth in January 2006.

"It was a very serious injury - the kidney shattered, fragmented and part of it went around the stomach so it wasn't very pretty," he added.

"The first thing I asked when I woke up after the operation was whether I would play football again and the doctors said no.

"They actually said that if I hadn't been relatively fit and young it would have been touch and go (whether he survived)."