Disappointed Aaron Wilbraham felt ‘let down’ by Charlie Daniels exit

Left wing-back Daniels, 34, had been involved pre-match preparation for last Tuesday’s third-round tie at St Mary’s, but told staff on Monday he did not want to play.

Former Bournemouth man Daniels is expected to finalise a move back down south, to link up with League One high-flyers Portsmouth after the expiration of his short-term deal at Shrewsbury.

Daniels told Town staff he had to be ‘selfish’ and was concerned about avoiding injury ahead of a move, but Wilbraham – filling in for Steve Cotterill, who remains absent recovering from Covid-19 – wishes Daniels could have made his decision sooner.

“With Charlie Daniels, the fixture wasn’t in place and Charlie had been speaking to other clubs,” Wilbraham said.

“It got to a point where he turned up the day before the game and kind of said he didn’t want to play, which was a little bit disappointing.

“I spoke to Charlie and was fine with it, but I did tell him that we felt a little bit let down that he could have told us earlier. We’d gone through the set-pieces and stuff. He said he had to be selfish for the first time in his career in that way.

“He a little bit left us in limbo – and I don’t mean because Scotty Golbourne isn’t an ideal replacement – I just mean Scotty had one game of football after 11 weeks out with a rib injury.

“It wasn’t ideal for Scotty more than anything, but I thought he came in and did well. It was really tough after being out that long.

“It wasn’t the case with Pughy (Marc Pugh, who also left), that was totally different. I wouldn’t say anything about Charlie I wouldn’t say to his face – I understand he’s a bit older, had bad injuries, I just wish it could’ve been a bit earlier on that decision.”

“The wing-backs are important to this formation, the manager is well aware of that and that’s what we’re looking to concentrate on.”

Town hoped to sign Luton’s Brendan Galloway as a replacement for Daniels.