Older heads are doing the business for Shrewsbury Town

Dave Edwards, Scott Golbourne and Joe Murphy – 33, 31 and 38 years young respectively – have played as big a role as anybody in Town’s squad recently.

The trio are making a case for experienced heads within a squad searching for consistency and improvement.

It is hardly a surprise that these three, all brought to the club by Sam Ricketts within the last year, are having such a positive influence.

You do not have the career they have had in football, playing at the top level in England, without having the right attitude and mentality.

Between them they have made more than 1,500 professional appearances in careers spanning well over a decade – in Murphy’s case almost two.

There is a satisfaction in seeing these three prove there is still plenty left in the tank as they enter the twilight of their careers. They have, at times been written off and cast aside by various sets of supporters elsewhere.

But Shrewsbury Town under Ricketts has proved a welcome home to such players who still have a lot to bring to the party.

Keeper Murphy, who showed his talent winning League Two with Bury last season, was brought in as back-up to loan youngster Max O’Leary but has been a brilliant stand-in in recent weeks, winning games with big saves.

Edwards’ story does not need repeating.

The Welshman has been to the top and returned to his boyhood club 11 months ago. It has not been smooth-sailing, but the midfielder has now found his feet, fitness and form.

Free transfer Golbourne has made a fine impression on Shrewsbury fans, possibly the most impressive and unlikely of the three given his year in the wilderness with terrible injuries.

Players with this kind of experience and character can be crucial behind the scenes, but most would have thought it unlikely they would all shine in the team together as they have for the last four fixtures, where Shrews are unbeaten.

Winger Shaun Whalley is 32, another age-old wise head within the Town ranks. It cannot be overstated just what an influence the likes of Edwards, Golbourne and Murphy have – on and off the pitch – on what is an otherwise young squad.

Such signings do not work every time, of course.

Ricketts brought Steve Morison, 35, to the club over the summer, a man who boasted a CV and calibre to trump any Shrewsbury player.

But after dropping out of the team, the forward found action hard to come by and was instead offered a route into coaching by Northampton.

Ricketts deserves credit for targeting and securing these players. They are not merely in as cheerleaders and still have a key role to play.

Some sections scoffed that the manager was only bringing in players he knew well. This, of course, wasn’t the case, but the experienced pros the Welshman brought in had the ability and, more importantly, mental strength and attitude to drive Shrewsbury forward.