New Shrewsbury Town signing Luke Leahy found his voice out of Gas side before taking captaincy

Attacking left-back Leahy, 28, yesterday became Steve Cotterill’s first new Town signing of the summer after turning down a new deal at Rovers in favour of a Shropshire switch.

Ex-Walsall man Leahy is a long-time Shrewsbury target who has been on the club’s radar for a number of years.

Having fallen out of favour at The Memorial Stadium – where he had three managers in last season’s relegation campaign – Leahy was an option for former boss Sam Ricketts as Town looked to fill the left-back void last October, but Salop instead turned to free agent Charlie Daniels.

But for Leahy, from Coventry, time out of the side under Ben Garner was to reflect on his game and standing on and off the pitch.

And upon current boss Joey Barton’s appointment in February Leahy took over the Gas captaincy from experienced defender Max Ehmer.

“At my previous club Bristol Rovers I had a couple of games that I missed, where I wasn’t picked, and I looked at it and thought what player do I want to become on and off the pitch?” Leahy said.

“That happening there was beneficial for me for the rest of the season, because it gave me a voice on and off the pitch, and I’d like to think that coming here I can do the same.

“I’m attacking, I like to get up and down the pitch, I’m good at the back post, defending and attacker.

“I like to think that I’m a leader on and off the pitch and will give my everything every Saturday and Tuesday on the pitch.”

Leahy’s attacking instincts from left-back or left wing-back saw him score 10 goals for Rovers last season – including five penalties, and more than any Town player – as well as five assists for the side that finished bottom.

The full-back admitted he was mindful of adding goals to his game having adapted into a more advanced wing-back role. His best goals return prior to last season was four in the Scottish Championship in 2015/16.

And Shrews boss Cotterill was mightily impressed with Leahy’s attacking statistics, as well as his energy levels, having scouted the defender extensively.

It was Leahy’s second League One relegation having also dropped out of the third tier with previous club Walsall, but Barton was at pains towards the end of the season to keep the out-of-contract defender on board, insisting his club should ‘fight tooth and nail’ to renew his services.

But the attacking full-back, who became a father last month, turned down a new offer in Bristol to head to Shrewsbury.

And he was persuaded on a switch to Montgomery Waters Meadow – where Cotterill is undergoing a rebuild with big changes this summer – after just a few minutes in the Town manager’s company.

“I met him earlier last week and straight away it was like I’d known him for a while, he was quite easy to chat to, we chatted football and quite a lot of things,” Leahy said.

“And a couple of minutes in I could tell he was good for what I needed in my career.”

Leahy, who spent five years and played more than 100 league games for Falkirk from 2012, will provide competition in the left-back and left wing-back roles for Nathanael Ogbeta. He can also fill in at left centre-half if required.