Shropshire Star

Striker Lenell John-Lewis shares the frustration of Shrewsbury Town fans

Injured forward Lenell John-Lewis admits he can feels supporters’ pain watching Shrewsbury Town toil at the wrong end of League One.

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The frontman has been forced into a watching brief for the remainder of the current campaign after injuring his ACL in the first FA Cup tie against Stoke at the turn of the year.

Initial estimates suggested the 29-year-old, who suffered the same injury to his other knee during his time at Newport County, could miss up to 12 months of football.

John-Lewis, a popular member of Sam Ricketts’ squad, says he feels helpless while watching on. He will be in the stands for today’s crunch visit of Burton Albion.

“It’s frustrating because I can’t do anything,” said John-Lewis. “When I’m on the bench you think ‘I can get on and do something’.

“Now I literally can’t do anything.

“You can probably say I feel the pain of the fans, in a way, because I’m a fan watching now, not able to do anything.

“So it is frustrating but I know we’ll turn it around. There’s a fantastic group of lads, a good management, a good team. One hundred per cent we’ll turn it around.”

John-Lewis is off crutches four weeks after his knee operation. His left knee is now sporting a mechanical brace from his ankle up to the top of his thigh.

He is still undergoing treatment in the gym, re-building the strength in his leg muscles, before any further rehabilitation.

The forward remains around Town’s squad at Sundorne Castle on a day-to-day basis. He is very much a leader behind the scenes in the Salop dressing room.

And John-Lewis is remaining positive despite his misfortune with injuries.

"I’m a positive guy," he said. "I look on the best things of life. I’m still alive.

“There’s a lot of things that have happened this year on the world stage that have been scary to think about. I’m still here, breathing, able to look at everyone and smile.

“If I smile it makes everyone else smile.

“I feel like I’m in a good place with my knee. I’m happy where I’m at, I’m able to walk comfortably, which is nice. It’s good.”