Shrewsbury boss pleased with pre-season win but reveals Salop squad has ‘niggles’
Shrewsbury Town boss Michael Appleton was pleased with his side’s 1-0 win over Championship Stoke City in their first pre-season friendly.
Salop and the Potters played out 90 minutes in the heat at Stoke’s Clayton Wood training ground, behind-closed-doors, as Town ramped up their preparations for the League Two campaign, which gets under way on August 2.
Callum Stewart scored the only goal of the game, early in the second half, as he latched onto Luca Hoole’s ball from the right side to register a 1-0 win.
Both Town and Stoke played two different XI’s during each 45 minutes.
There were a few notable absences from the Shrewsbury squad, with Alex Gilliead, Tom Anderson, Max Mata and Ricardo Dinanga not featuring in the game.
Appleton said they have picked up a few ‘niggles’ at the start of pre-season but they are nothing too ‘drastic’ to worry about.
“Delighted,” he said, reflecting on the win. “The most important thing is we came through it unscathed and without any injuries.
“You can probably see from the absentees today that we had three or four little niggles in that first week or so of pre-season. Nothing too drastic, but enough to keep them off the grass for three or four days or more.
“So, for the group to come through unscathed and do well. They worked hard and showed a little bit of quality at times."
As ever in pre-season, there were opportunities for Salop’s talented youngsters to play in front of Appleton and the rest of the coaching staff.
Players like Jack Loughran, Isaac England, Joe Morris and Karsten Cairns, who all played in the Professional Development Trophy win at the Cardiff City Stadium at the end of last season, featured in the friendly.
And Appleton said those players showed a lot of ‘courage’ and ‘calmness’.
“Listen, it was a great run out for some of those young players as well,” he continued. “There were lads at 16 and 17 out there performing with a lot of courage and a lot of calmness to their game.
“Everyone is in a good, vibrant mood. The closer you get to the start of the season, you get that buzz and eagerness to get the games under way. "These matches are just as important in terms of creating a base and a unity to take into the season.
“First two weeks, I cannot complain. There are new players in the building, which has been positive, and it has given everyone a lift.”
The Salop fans will be able to get their eyes on Shrews’ new additions for the first time this weekend as they make the trip to Leamington to play their first pre-season clash in front of supporters.
