Gavin Cowan hails Kevin Berkoe’s impact in “excellent” Shrewsbury Town home debut

Berkoe featured for 72 minutes in Salop’s vital midweek victory over Barrow after making his first appearance at Colchester United.

The 24-year-old completed a late deadline-day switch to Shrewsbury from Salford City, reuniting with boss Cowan, who signed and managed him at AFC Telford United in 2021.

He said: “Really good. He had a couple of moments. He hasn't played for a few weeks, so that’s understandable. 

“But in terms of his athleticism and his being dynamic, I thought he was excellent.”

Berkoe was Cowan’s only signing after he became head coach late in the mid-season transfer window. However, he admitted he did not envisage being able to welcome a late arrival and was delighted to reunite with the versatile defender.

Speaking after his arrival, Cowan said: “I’m really grateful, because we came in under the proviso that there wouldn't be any movement. There would only be anything going out.

“The squad is a bit bloated and a bit imbalanced, for my liking. So we didn't imagine we'd bring anyone in. 

“I'm really thankful to the chairman and the club for giving us the opportunity to bring Kevin in, because it just gives us that little bit more balance. 

“Mal hasn't played a massive amount of games, so we can't expect him now just to go in and play 18 games off the bat. But he's an important member of the team and the squad, so it's great to have him back in the fold. 

“But bringing Kevin in, someone I've worked with previously, only for a short period of time and it was quite a while ago. 

“As with all players I've worked with, the Ryan Barnetts of the world, the Daniel Udohs, the John McAtees, I love to keep an eye on them and look at their progress. 

“Kevin was one of them as well. He's done really well at Rochdale this year, I know they would have liked to have taken him back. 

“It was a real privilege that he chose us over a couple of League Two clubs, I'm happy that he chose us. 

“He gives us real energy and we've become a lot more dynamic with him in the squad. We wanted some legs in there as well, so it's good to have him on board.”

Berkoe was one of four changes Cowan made for the crucial Barrow clash, alongside Iwan Morgan - who was a constant threat, especially with his long throw-ins - as well as midfielders Tom Sang and Taylor Perry.

Cowan was full of praise for the midfield pair and their impact.

“They were brilliant,” said the Salop boss. “We wanted energy in there, we wanted to relax.

“I was particularly pleased with them both when the ball turned over. Really composed and landed a pass on Saturday. So we felt like we could really trust them in there.

“They're two players that are natural eights, I think. And it was really good to see how professional they were, how disciplined they were. That was a concern.

“I'm still getting to know the players. But yes, they definitely proved me wrong on that. I'm really proud to see the performance that they've both put in. Balancing off each other and being in there with really good legs.”