Shropshire Star

Top scorer Lee Angol is a complete centre-forward, says Shrewsbury boss John Askey

Three-goal top scorer Lee Angol is showing that he is a complete centre-forward, according to Shrewsbury boss John Askey.

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Angol, signed from League Two Mansfield Town on deadline day at the beginning of August, has netted three times in just four starts since signing at Montgomery Waters Meadow.

His latest, the second in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Southend – Shrewsbury’s first under Askey – was an instinctive finish in the box that he lashed into the bottom corner.

The 24-year-old previously scored 11 times in his first League One season with former club Peterborough, and Askey believes Saturday’s goal shows he has the makings of a regular goalscorer. “It’s what you want from your centre-forwards. If a centre-forward is going to score a lot of goals then those are the chances he’s got to take, in and around the six-yard box, reacting before everybody else reacts,” said the Town chief.

“But I thought his hold-up play was really good. He was a good targetman. He’s full of confidence, you can see that, and hopefully he can continue to deliver. He’s got everything. When you look at that performance he hasn’t really got a weakness.

“He’s aggressive, good in the air, mobile and a good footballer. You don’t need many more assets.”

Captain Mat Sadler was impressed with what he saw from the new Salop No.9, who was brought in as a replacement for Stefan Payne.

Sadler said: “I thought that Lee’s finish was very good. It flew at him and he threw his left foot at it and it’s gone in the bottom corner. It was good to score just before half-time. I heard plenty of choice words from them.”

Askey also reserved praise for one of his key midfield enforcers, Anthony Grant, who again shone at the heart of the team.

“He does a job for us and at the start of the season we didn’t have anybody to do that,” Askey said on 31-year-old tough-tackling midfield man.

“We had a lot of forward-thinking players but you can see with Anthony why he’s played so long at this level.

“He’s calm on the ball and breaks things up for us. He complements the rest of the players but there was a lot of good performances.”