Omar Beckles: Shrewsbury need to find balance

Centre-half Beckles, who has had cameos at left and right wing-back as well as a centre-forward in recent weeks, believes there is a ‘trade off’ between the balance in attack and defence.

Town’s clean sheet in their last league win, at Blackpool on December 21, was their 13th in 28 games. But Sam Ricketts’ side have kept just one, against Bristol City in the FA Cup, in 14 games since.

Goal-shy Shrews are the third-lowest scorers in the Football League but have shown more attacking intent in recent games, despite their extended winless run. Beckles, 28, said: “It’s a trade off sometimes. I don’t think you can always have it your way.

“I think there was a lot of disappointment in how defensive we were.

“We were keeping many clean sheets but it was how defensive we were.

“I guess the reality is now we’re maybe a bit more offensive, creating more chances, but you have to forsake the reality that you’re going to be exposed and a bit more vulnerable defensively.

“It’s a trade off. It’s never going to be perfect.

“In an ideal world the balance would be amazing but it doesn’t always happen that way.”

Only Jason Cummings and Josh Laurent have scored more goals for Town this season than Beckles, who has three to his name this term and eight in 123 appearances for Salop.

“It’s something I definitely feel I can add to any team. It’s good to get a few,” the popular stopper said. “To be honest I normally score more with my head but this season I’ve only scored with my feet.”

Beckles, named in the League One team of the season for his performances at left-back two seasons ago, started at right wing-back at Portsmouth last weekend before switching to the left side.

He added on the wing-back roles: “I’ve never done it before. I’ve done centre-forward cameos every now and then but left wing-back was unusual.

“Hopefully I’ll not have to get used to it! But if I have to then I have to. I’ll keep supporting the team whatever way.”

The defender, out of contract in the summer, is Town’s second-longest serving senior player and insists he still has the fire in his belly.

He said: “One hundred per cent the determination is still there. That’s maybe why I’ve been so frustrated myself at not playing enough games because I want to be playing more.”

“I want to be progressing personally in my career and as a team as well. Definitely I have the hunger to be progressing.

“I say to myself I want to be playing at the highest level possible and to give myself the best opportunity to play well and consistently.”

On his two-and-a-half years as a Town player to date he continued: “It is nice. Anywhere I’ve gone from when I was in non-league, literally I’ve just hopped, hopped, hopped and not stayed anywhere for more than a season.

“So this is foreign for me but it’s nice. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it so far so long may it continue.”