Peters puts faith in Fortune
Nomadic lower League striker Leo Fortune-West today checked into Shrewsbury Town, as manager Gary Peters moved to add an extra attacking dimension to his ranks. He made Gay Meadow the 11th destination of his career. Nomadic lower League striker Leo Fortune-West today checked into Shrewsbury Town, as manager Gary Peters moved to add an extra attacking dimension to his ranks. The 35-year-old made Gay Meadow the 11th destination of his career after completing a loan move from Rushden & Diamonds. The deal will initially run until January but, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be extended until the end of the season. Fortune-West has spent a month on loan at Torquay and played against Shrewsbury in the stalemate at Plainmoor 10 days ago, where he is pictured in action against Town's Kelvin Langmead. Read the full story in the Shropshire Star
The 35-year-old made Gay Meadow the 11th destination of his career after completing a loan move from Rushden & Diamonds.
The deal will initially run until January but, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be extended until the end of the season.
Fortune-West has spent a month on loan at Torquay and played against Shrewsbury in the stalemate at Plainmoor 10 days ago, where he is pictured in action against Town's Kelvin Langmead.
He was recalled to Rushden on Friday and was an unused substitute in Saturday's 3-2 defeat against Dagenham.
But Peters - who played his cards close to his chest by yesterday morning insisting a move for a striker was not imminent - has moved quickly to swoop for a player who he commended for his performance for Torquay against Town.
"We are seeing points slip away and I just felt we needed to bring in a striker who would have an immediate impact," said Peters.
"We have seen nine points slip away at home with the defeat against Lincoln and the draws against Walsall and Wycombe. He's a real handful who has been promoted four times from this division.
"Everything that Torquay created against us came from him and I'm convinced if Leo had been here on Saturday and I'd thrown him on for the last 30 minutes we would have finished Wycombe off and got the the three points.
"We get so much ball in the opposition box and we need to attack it better and put them under more pressure.
"This League is wide open and maybe we needed something to help keep us with the leaders.
"And it won't affect the other strikers because we are now in a position where we can have four forwards in the 16 each week who all offer us something different."
Fortune-West - who has scored 91 times in a Football League career which has included 242 starts and 109 substitute appearance - started out at Stevenage and spent his early years at Gillingham, Leyton Orient, Lincoln, Brentford and Rotherham.
A £300,000 switch was then sealed to Cardiff in 2000, since which he has also spent three seasons at Doncaster.
The arrival of Fortune-West and the decision to extend the contract of Michael Symes to the end of the season have both come since the departure of Glynn Hurst to Bury.
By James Garrison