Shropshire Star

Sam Ricketts: Dean Whitehead can inspire Shrewsbury Town

New first-team coach Dean Whitehead can inspire Shrewsbury Town’s players to fulfil their potential, says boss Sam Ricketts.

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Whitehead, who spent his entire teens coming through the ranks at Oxford alongside Ricketts, joined Shrewsbury last month from Huddersfield, where he was in charge of the under-17s.

The versatile former Stoke man made more than 600 career appearances and, like Ricketts, worked his way through the football pyramid to the top flight.

Town boss Ricketts, who lived with Whitehead while the duo played for Bolton and Stoke respectively, believes players can relate and aspire to match their achievements in the game.

“He’s always wanted to (stay in football),” Ricketts said of Whitehead. “You start thinking of it more in your late 20s or early 30s.

“I didn’t really have any aspirations until then and Dean was probably similar.

“We’ve always spoke about going into it at a similar time. He played a year longer than me. We spoke about what we think, like and don’t like, our views on football are very similar.

“We demand the same standards of each other and the players, it’s a good fit. He had hard work, dedication, desire and you have to have ability on top.

“It’s really important, The same with Graham (Barrow, assistant) – from non-league to the Premier League – he can relate to every level of football and players as well.

“Sometimes players at this level don’t realise how close it (playing higher) is, it’s just around the corner.

“Championship and Premier League feels a million miles away but it’s not. It’s only small details that make the difference between what levels you play at.

“Players are inches away from earning huge money and playing on the biggest stages of world football.”

n Coventry have sold their 1,538 away allocation for Saturday’s League One clash at Montgomery Waters Meadow.