Matthew Pennington ready to go on attack for Shrewsbury Town

Pennington, on a loan deal from Everton until the end of the season, returned to the Town side with an assist in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Charlton.

He had previously been left out by Steve Cotterill and Aaron Wilbraham for the victory at Rochdale last week.

Pennington, 26, said: “I was pleased to be back starting, I was disappointed not to start at Rochdale but I’d had a few games and the gaffer pulled me out of it.

“I think it allowed me to heal and go again after my injury. I feel fit and ready to attack the next phase of games.”

Having seen his Shrewsbury debut delayed due to the club’s Covid-19 outbreak, Pennington dislocated his shoulder in a freak training accident after just two games in the side.

But Shrews have returned to Cotterill’s preferred 3-5-2 since his return and Pennington, who is out of contract and set to leave Goodison Park in the summer, is pushing for a run of games.

“I’ve not really played all season,” he said of a frustrating period prior to Christmas. “I’ve played a few under-23s games and it’s not since the end of last season that I’ve actually played a run of games and got that match sharpness back. I think I’ll only get better from here.

“Definitely (feel settled and fitter), it takes two or three games to get up to speed, you’ve not been playing games and reacting as quickly as you need to.

“You can’t do that, replicate it straight away, it’s really hard to repeat it, that Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday, to get up to the levels. But once you’re in the groove and in your flow then it’s much easier.”

Fellow stopper Aaron Pierre, meanwhile, has stepped up his return from a calf injury and has been completing sprints in training at Sundorne. Pierre, 28, has been sidelined for more than six weeks with the muscle problem.