Five Shrewsbury Town players looking to impress in pre-season

Here are five players who'll be looking to impress Michael Appleton ahead of the new season.

Max Mata 

Shrewsbury assistant Richard O'Donnell recently stated that Mata will have a 'clean slate' when he reports for the first day of pre-season. 

The New Zealand international, who first arrived from Sligo Rovers in the summer of 2023, netted just once in 26 matches during his debut season. 

Mata was later loaned to his former club Sligo and spent the past season back in his homeland with Auckland in the A-League, after he was deemed surplus to requirements by former boss Paul Hurst. 

The 24-year-old scored twice and set-up three more in 19 appearances for Auckland, but saw his season curtailed by a hamstring injury. 

Upon his return to Shropshire, Mata has been handed a huge lifeline to revive his Shrews career.

Callum Stewart 

Stewart propelled himself on to the Shrews' radar as a non-league hotshot - scoring 14 goals in 23 games for Leamington in the National League North. 

The 23-year-old was used sparingly following his January arrival at Croud Meadow, but started the last three games of the League One campaign. 

He registered his first assist for John Marquis' decisive second goal in a 2-1 win at Barnsley on the penultimate match of the season. 

The young frontman will be hoping the step down to League Two will provide him with the platform to kick-start his Football League career, and he'll be looking to hit the ground running during pre-season.

Ricardo Dinanga 

Like Stewart, Dinanga arrived from non-league in January, after scoring 12 goals in 28 appearances for local neighbours AFC Telford United.

The Irishman made his debut with a seven-minute cameo from the bench in a 3-2 home defeat against Bolton Wanderers on February 15. 

Dinanga has not featured since, but will be keen to capitalise on any chances that come his way in pre-season.

Toto Nsiala

Nsiala returned to Croud Meadow for his second spell last summer, but it was not the homecoming he would've so desperately desired. 

Instead, the former DR Congo international was in and out of the XI, and featured just three times from mid-February onwards. 

The 33-year-old will need to show his worth in pre-season if he is to force his way into the first team plans, especially following the defensive signings of Tom Anderson, Sam Stubbs and Will Boyle.

Toby Savin 

Savin was "pulled out of the firing line" by Gareth Ainsworth in December last year and was replaced by Jamal Blackman. 

The goalkeeper didn't play again for the Shrews after shipping four for the second game on the spin in a 4-1 drubbing at home to Wycombe Wanderers. 

He spent the second half of the season on loan at Barnet, and later Halifax Town, keeping three clean sheets in eight outings for the latter. 

Appleton will be weighing up his options between the sticks, and with a new goalkeeper yet to arrive, Savin will be desperate to impress.