Shrewsbury Town v Tranmere Rovers preview: Josh Vela back home for his next challenge

Leaving Bolton Wanderers last summer, ending his 17-year association with the club, to join Hibernian was tougher than Shrewsbury’s new recruit could have imagined.

Vela, 26, had not long become a father to son Noah but craved a new challenge and penned a three-year deal with Hibs, where he lasted just half a season and played only 14 games – failing to appear after Paul Heckingbottom was sacked in early November.

The midfielder, who was struggling with a thigh injury that proved problematic after linking with Shrews, jumped at the option to move back to his north west home and sign a two-and-a-half year Shrewsbury deal as a free agent.

Frustration followed for Vela and Town fans as the quad muscle injury prevented his Salop debut for about a month – in which Sam Ricketts, a former Bolton team-mate, was struggling for results at the helm.

But Vela was desperate to be introduced to his new supporters and was thrown in as Town edged a crunch clash against Doncaster on Saturday and is ready to back up an impressive debut in the important meeting against strugglers Tranmere tonight.

“One hundred per cent I’ve got more to come, it was my first game in three or four months so I’ve got the rustiness off to go again tonight,” said Vela.

“I’ve been here a few weeks now and doing bits and bobs in training. I’ve been doing my strength work and getting my fitness back.

“I was ready to play last weekend (at Portsmouth) but they said leave it, train and get ready for the next weekend and luckily we got the good win.

“It’s been frustrating not being able to be out there to help the team because I know what I can bring to the team.

“I’m back and hopefully I can stay in the team and we can get wins.”

The former Trotters schoolboy, from Salford, played three games in the Premier League in his breakthrough season as a teenager in 2011/12 before going on to make 182 Wanderers appearances.

That included all 46 games in Bolton’s League One promotion-winning campaign, where he netted 10 goals from midfield.

Vela’s switch north of the border was a big lifestyle change and one that, as Hibs’ formed suffered, failed to work out.

Vela, who had not played since November 2, explained: “I didn’t settle, it didn’t work out. You try things and they don’t work out.

“I’ve come here, it’s closer to home and my family. I hate to say it but I’m a home bird.

“I can feel my feet under the table here and the lads have been great. Yes (leaving Bolton was tougher than imagined). I was there playing every week at Bolton and it was brilliant but I wanted a new challenge.

“It didn’t work out but I’ve come here for a couple of years and hopefully we can achieve things.

“It’s about kickstarting my career again. I’ve had a setback but you’ve got to keep your head up and push on.

“I’m not comfortable, I want to achieve things, get promoted to the Championship with this club which would be brilliant.

“But first of all I’ll settle in and win a few games and see where it goes from there.”

Given Dave Edwards’ ankle injury, Vela will play a crucial role in the heart of Ricketts’ midfield against lowly Tranmere, who are 11 without a league win.

The new recruit was not short of friends to turn to when enquiring about a switch to Shrewsbury. He added: “Joe Riley’s one of my best pals, he said it’s a great little club. I took his word from it.

“I knew the gaffer anyway, I knew Norbs (Ollie Norburn), it was just a challenge I was willing to take. I was best man at his (Riley’s) wedding. We’re close mates. He’s back at Mansfield so I’m seeing him a lot more now.

“He said it’s a great club, a proper little family club. They got to the play-offs when he was here, I was at that game.

“The gaffer said what he wanted to achieve here and I bought into it and I want to help them push on.”

“I played with him a couple of times in the Premier League and a full season in the Championship,” Vela recalled on sharing a dressing room with Ricketts, who called the midfielder’s acquisition a long-term coup for Salop.

“He was a big, experienced player, he’d played a lot of games in the Premier League and is a good man.

“He was a big talker, a proper leader and proper professional bloke. I’m just delighted we got the win for him.

“At Bolton we had a great dressing room and he was one of the key figures in there. I know Graham Barrow as well.

“We’ve got a great backroom staff here, Deano (Whitehead) and Brian (Jensen). It’s a great staff with lots of experience.

“It’s a really good club and I’m looking forward to the future.”