Contacts are key for Shrewsbury Town recruitment drive – Sam Ricketts
Manager Sam Ricketts has revealed contacts in the game are central to his recruitment drive at Shrewsbury Town.
Town are yet to make a new signing 11 days into the January window, with Ricketts believed to be looking for no more than a handful of fresh options.
But four players have departed Montgomery Waters Meadow while another couple could well be set for the exit door.
Ricketts, whose side host Lincoln in League One today, explained how his recruitment is based at Salop in the wake of head of recruitment and performance analysis Adam Henshall leaving for Doncaster before Christmas.
“We’re fine there,” said Ricketts when asked about re-staffing the recruitment role. “The way I’ve recruited, certainly since I’ve been here, means it wasn’t something that needed to be replaced.
“With my contacts in the game and the other members of staffs’ contacts, it’s proved to be the way we’ve recruited and how we’ve secured the players we have.”
Ricketts brought Town chief scout Luke Fogarty from Wrexham shortly after taking charge just over a year ago.
Fogarty oversees the small scouting network at Shrewsbury, but the boss reveals deals are more about keeping an ear out.
Quizzed about taking the responsibility on himself, Ricketts replied: “Yes, to an extent, because it’s all about people you know really.
“You can fly through the squad now and see where we’ve got the players from, and it’s generally always contacts from either myself or someone else.
“Graham (Barrow, assistant manager) knows everyone in the game, I know a fair amount in the game, Dean Whitehead (first-team coach) knows a fair amount.
“We have real good contacts, that’s how we go about our recruitment more than anything.
