Shrewsbury striker aims to make an impact
Striker John Marquis says if he gets game time at Shrewsbury Town he is confident he will score goals.
The forward scored six times last season for his former club Bristol Rovers in 42 appearances across all competitions. Whereas the season before, he scored 14 times in the same number of games.
The 32-year-old has signed a two-year deal at the Croud Meadow ahead of the new season, and despite having a quiet year on the goalscoring front last time out, he says if he starts matches he will deliver.
“My main target is to play as many games, and get as many starts as I can because I know, and I back myself that when I do start I will score goals,” the former Portsmouth man said.
“I have done it my whole career. Whenever I have been at a club and started games I have always been a one in two-and-a-half or three striker.
“So I know there are goals in me still and, the back of the net has never moved in my whole career, and the pitch has not moved either.
“I know where the goal is and it is just about getting in the right positions and then building relationships with the other players for them to know where my runs and my movement is to capitalise on it.”
In the league last season Marquis made 13 starts in England’s third tier, and he came off the bench 22 times over the course of the campaign.
His last League One start was in the Gas’ 2-1 home defeat to Burton Albion on February 10 – with the striker limited to substitute appearances thereafter.
“It was just one of those things,” Marquis said about his time at Rovers. “As much as I really enjoyed my time at Bristol, for whatever reason, some out of my control some in my control, I just did not get the starts that I wanted.
“I think I only maybe started 34 or 35 games over two seasons, and still managed to get 17 goals which is about one in two, but for whatever reason, and maybe my all-round performance was up to scratch or whatever it was.
“I just did not seem to get the starts that I really wanted, especially in the back end of the season last year. It has given me a good hunger, and a good reset for me to know that this is a good place for me to be and for for me to go and enjoy my football.”
