Cameron Gregory offered professional Shrewsbury Town deal as decision made on scholars

Gregory joins defender Christos Shelis and attacker Ryan Barnett from his age group to sign pro deals at Montgomery Waters Meadow.

Boss Paul Hurst has not offered deals to the remaining six second-year scholars.

Gregory, who is from Sutton Coldfield and joined Town from Wolves, will have the opportunity to take up or decline Shrewsbury's offer. Gregory made the bench in Town's three Checkatrade Trophy group games this season against Coventry, West Bromwich Albion under-23s and Walsall.

He has spent periods training with the first-team at Sundorne Castle this season.

He's come on a lot since coming to the training ground and working with Danny (Coyne, goalkeeping coach)," said Hurst.

"On 4G it's more difficult, particularly for a keeper, he's really benefited from working with Danny and alongside Dean Henderson, Craig (MacGillivray) and Shaun (Rowley).

"There has been a significant improvement.

"He's got a lot of good attributes. Keeper's always a difficult one because there's a lot of improvement to be made. There's not many keepers that get even close to a first team in league football until much older.

"It'll be a long road for him but we feel he's got the potential and some attributes to work with and develop where he may have a chance.

"Danny's clearly a big part of the decision. I can see enough basics but Danny will look in a lot more technical detail. Even basic things that I can notice, we do shooting drills and often they'd go in the back of the net, now the lads have to work harder with their efforts to beat him."

Cyprus youngster Shelis, 18, signed a two-year deal last October while Barnett, 17, signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the option of another year last February amid interest from elsewhere.

Barnett has been with Town's academy set-up since he was seven.

Shelis, who has often been on the bench for Hurst's first-team, is currently away on international duty with Cyprus' youth team.

Hurst added that telling the three players not offered a deal is always a difficult conversation.

"I think so (it's a good number). We looked at last year and we try to assess the best way forward.

"A lot have had loan experiences and trained with us quite often. Sometimes we ask them to go back with Eric (Ramsay, head of academy coaching) and the scholars.

"We've seen enough from them, but maybe numbers-wise three might be better. But we won't put a set number on it, if they're good enough we'll take them.

"We've had the experience of letting three lads know they won't be getting something which again is not a nice thing to do.

"But I've explained to them it doesn't have to be the end of the road if they want a career in football still. I'm sure they'll get other opportunities elsewhere and that'll be down to them."