Ex-Town shot-stopper reveals he had to 'Google' Shrewsbury's location before signing
Former Shrewsbury goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler, who played in the last Salop team to be promoted from League Two, has spoken about how his time in Shropshire began.
Shrewsbury’s relegation from League One last season ended a decade-long stay in the third tier of English football.
That all came from Micky Mellon’s promotion-winning campaign back in 2014-15 as Town came runners up in the fourth tier - Burton won the league and Bury finished in the third promotion spot.
Leutwiler was one of the mainstays of that campaign. He started all 46 games that season.
And speaking to the I Had Trials Once podcast, the former Town gloveman revealed the way he flew into Shrewsbury from Switzerland to get the deal over the line.
“So I got released from Middlesbrough. Danny Coyne was the goalkeeping coach at the time.
“I was in Switzerland, and I did not know what to do. I had not played for six months.
“It was a couple of weeks into the holiday in Switzerland when I got the call from Danny Coyne.
“I had to Google… ‘Where is Shrewsbury’. Danny said: 'I spoke to Stephen Pears who speaks highly of you and we think you can do it at League Two, no problem. We are getting a team together to get promoted.'
He said the gaffer (Micky Mellon) wants to speak to you and stuff like that.
“So I took a plane from Switzerland and flew to Birmingham. Took a taxi to Shrewsbury and went to speak to the gaffer.
“He asked me where I had come from and I said: ‘From Switzerland’. He said: ‘You took a plane all the way here just to talk to me?’ And I said yes. He said: ‘OK, we are signing you.’
Leutwiler’s time in Shropshire was the most successful of his career with him making 140 in both League One and League Two before he moved to Blackburn in August 2017.
“We were promoted in my first season," he continued. "For me I put myself under a lot of pressure because I knew it was my chance to show people what I could do and to build a bit of a name for myself in England.”
The 36-year-old last played football for Port Vale back in the 2023-24 campaign when he played for the Valiants in their four EFL Trophy clashes.
