New skipper Carl Winchester defiant on Shrewsbury Town doubters

The Salop players and staff will approach games aiming to prove people wrong, according to the Salop skipper, after they have been widely tipped for relegation ahead of the new League One season.

Winchester, who has been named captain by Paul Hurst ahead of Town's EFL curtain-raiser at Stevenage this weekend, was speaking to the media after being unveiled as captain, and he says they need to play with 'no fear'.

Winchester said: "I think just go out there and prove everyone wrong. From what we see is being said on social media, we are one of the favourites to go down.

"It is about having that underdog mentality every week to make sure those standards are good in training every day.

"We need to apply that to a Saturday, and I think we will be fine. I think the last time the gaffer was here, they were predicted to finish in the same position, and they ended up finishing third.

"It is one of those things, and just having that underdog mentality and playing with no fear - giving it our all.

"The lads had a meeting about it and we spoke about it (being tipped to go down). We said 'Look lads, no one is giving us a chance, and that is before a ball has even been kicked' which I think is mad.

"It is about going out there and proving everyone wrong, and it starts on the training pitch. Hopefully, we can put what we have worked on at the training ground and put it into practice on Saturday."

Winchester is about to embark upon his third season at Salop after initially arriving on a season-long loan when Steve Cotterill was still in charge in Shropshire.

Last summer, Matt Taylor made Winchester his first signing when he was appointed as boss and now Hurst has made him captain.

And the 31-year-old revealed how the Town head coach told him.

"The gaffer pulled me in on Tuesday and told me I was going to be captain this season," he continued. "I thanked for him trusting me with that opportunity. It is one of those ones where I need to keep doing what I am doing that has got me that spot in the first place."