Shrewsbury Town players to return to training this week

The Salop squad will report to the club’s Sundorne Castle training base on Thursday as Michael Appleton and Richard O’Donnell begin putting the players through their paces. 

Among those returning will be new arrivals, Sam Clucas and Tom Anderson. The pair, who both signed two-year contracts at the beginning of the summer, were the poster boys for the Salop home shirt which was released last week. 

They will meet up with their new team-mates for the first time. 

Also among the players returning to training will be Max Mata. He has spent the last year back in his homeland playing for New Zealand side Auckland. 

He made 19 appearances during his time playing for the Kiwi side who play in the A-League in Australia - a hamstring injury prevented him from featuring more. 

Town will play their first pre-season game behind closed doors against Stoke City at the Potters' Clayton Wood training stadium on Wednesday, July 9.

Soon after Shrewsbury will begin to play against sides in front of supporters as they take on Leamington, local rivals Telford, Kidderminster, Bolton before their final pre-season clash against Burnley the week before the League Two season gets under way. 

Town will learn who they will play against on the opening day of the season this week as the EFL fixtures are revealed on Thursday. 

Town's season starts on the first weekend in August.

It will be the first time in more than a decade that Shrewsbury are not in the third tier of English football. 

Shrews were relegated from League One last campaign after finishing rock bottom of the table as they lost 29 out of their 46 matches and had three different managers. 

Michael Appleton was given the job on a temporary basis initially after Gareth Ainsworth had walked out on Town for Gillingham. 

He then signed a two-year contract at the Croud Meadow before the penultimate day of last season which will see him lead the team going forward.