Shrewsbury Town team of the century: The midfielders
There has been a whole host of stars to have played in Shrewsbury blue and amber during the 21st century.
But with such a range of talent having turned out for Town – who would make the ultimate Salop squad from those who have figured for the club over the past two decades?
With the country in lockdown – and with fans looking for their football fix – we asked Shrewsbury supporters to put together a dream team of players who have performed from January 1, 2000, onwards.
In keeping with a World Cup format, there were just two rules. The first was that they had to name three goalkeepers, while the second was that the squad had to be balanced with every position covered in the event of an injury or suspension.
Forty-three Supporters spent time mulling over their heroes to whittle down their squads to just 23 names.
The results are being revealed in the Shropshire Star throughout this week. Today we unveil which midfielders made the cut.
Midfielders: Shaun Whalley, Jon Taylor, Ryan Woods, Jon Nolan, Ben Godfrey, Dave Edwards, Ben Davies, Mark Wright
There has been a stunning selection of midfield talent to don blue and amber over the last two decades.
Dogged, tenacious defensive midfielders, technical gifted schemers and flying jinking wingers – Town fans have been blessed to witness some stars flourish.
We’ve decided to select four central midfielders and four wingers – two for each flank – for our World Cup squad on the premise of an orthodox 4-4-2 system.
Leading the way in the heart of midfield is academy graduate and fans’ favourite Ryan Woods, selected by 41 of our 43 voters.
Woods blossomed from a promising debutant aged 19 in April 2013 to one of the leading central midfielders in the lower leagues in barely a couple of seasons.
His metronomic ability to recycle the ball and get Town moving, as well as a committed, energetic style, saw him become an integral part of Micky Mellon’s promotion-winning side in 2015.
After a team of the year place, and 103 appearances in total, he was snapped up by Championship Brentford for a reported £1million, before moving to Stoke in January 2019.
Jon Nolan, with 35 votes, becomes the second part of the red-haired midfield duo. Nolan was signed from Chesterfield in 2017 and enjoyed a fantastic solitary season with Town, netting 10 goals in their promotion push.
Nolan, 28, was sold to Paul Hurst’s Ipswich for a mammoth profit, His dribbling style and ability to unlock a defence holds him in high esteem at the Meadow.
Another member of the class of 2017/18, loan star Ben Godfrey makes the cut with 33 votes after his tremendous breakthrough campaign.
Godfrey, 22, has gone on to be a Premier League regular at centre-half for Norwich, but he was a brilliant shield for the defensive during his year in Shropshire. Fifty-one appearances, each with boundless energy and unrivalled passion, makes him a huge hit.
The fourth choice is hometown hero Dave Edwards (25 votes). The Wales international and ex-top flight star made his fairytale Salop return last January and has added 43 more appearances to the 132 he made as an academy graduate in the early-to-mid-noughties.
Edwards, 34, remains immensely popular with Town fans and His legs may have 13 years’ worth of miles more in the tank than his 2007 exit, but the midfield is still an integral part of Sam Ricketts’ squad and has lots to offer.
Just missing the cut in the middle of midfield with 22 votes is former skipper Abu Ogogo. He is joined by Greg Docherty (nine), Steward Drummond (six) as the best of the rest.
Matt Richards and Gylfi Sigurdsson won three votes, while Liam Lawrence, Ollie Norburn and Josh Laurent all picked up two. A vote each went to Craig Disley, Anthony Grant, Jamie Tolley and Sean Thornton.
The star winger was Shaun Whalley, with 35 votes. The likeable Scouser has almost racked up 200 Town games with 28 goals over five seasons.
Next up of the widemen is the ever-popular Ben Davies (29 votes), whose 127 appearances over three seasons are fondly remembered. His goal return of 31 and fine set-piece ability were key for Town.
Mark Wright, with 23 votes, and Jon Taylor, with 22, are our other wingers. Wright was direct, pacy and tricky fans’ favourite on the flanks, chipping in with goals and countless assists between 2010 and 2013.
Another Liverpudlian, Taylor was a hugely successful graduate of the academy, with 21 goals in 140 outings across four seasons as a pro. Now 27, he is still troubling League One defences with Doncaster.
Honourable mentions go to Sam Aiston (13), Lionel Aisnworth (eight), Alex Rodman (six) and Marc Pugh (five).
Nineties stalwart Mickey Brown got three votes, as did Chris Humphrey and Sullay Kaikai, while two went to Derek Asamoah and Ian Woan. Ryan Giles and Ryan Lowe had one vote as wide options.
