New Shrewsbury Town boss Sam Ricketts has left his mark on Mat Sadler

Ricketts has spent just nine days in charge at Montgomery Waters Meadow but his determination and ambition has already rubbed off on Town’s experienced skipper.

Sadler, who is four years Ricketts’ junior, remarked on his new manager’s playing career as an insight into his desire to succeed.

“I don’t know if age comes into it but what does is ambition. He’s desperate to do very well,” said Town defender Sadler, who will make his 200th appearance for Town if selected for Saturday’s league visit of Peterborough.

“He’s desperate to succeed, there’s a real passion and determination to make a positive environment.”

Sadler, 33, believes the addition of a manager with such enthusiasm to win will help put the club up in the limelight again, as they were last season.

The defender continued: “You don’t play for your country 50-odd times, play for Premier League teams and rise through the leagues in the way that he did without a real determination and ambition.

“He’s a certain character with a will to succeed. I thoroughly expect that to be how he approaches this job and how he has to begin with.

“It’s exactly what we all want, a manager desperate to do well for the town and a manager to put this town on the map again as we were last season.

“We hope for a long and successful period now as a football club.”

Ricketts has so far overseen progression in the Checkatrade Trophy after a victory over rivals Walsall before being edged out at Burton Albion in League One.

The new boss was on a watching brief during yesterday’s 4-3 Central League Cup win over the Brewers.

But the chief has already stamped his mark on some members of the Salop dressing room, including Sadler – who has long since been considered a link between Shrewsbury’s squad and management.

“It’s a new relationship, we’ve had some good conversations so far – he’s a good guy,” the skipper, who is taking his coaching badges with a view to going into management, added.

“If he was sat next to me in the dressing room he’d be someone I’d get on with. Every conversation I’ve had so far, the one thing that comes over in spades, is that he’s got a real determination to make a real mark.

“It’s come across in every single thing I’ve heard him say so far. It can only rub off on us.

“The manager has done his coaching, he’s worked his way up, he was at Wolves to begin with and did well there and at Wrexham.

“He’s put in the hard yards and, when that time comes, I’m under no illusion you have to put in the hard yards. It’s good to look up to somebody.”