Shrewsbury Town striker John Marquis set for weeks out as Gavin Cowan demands response
Gavin Cowan has called on other Shrewsbury Town players to “step up” in the absence of injured teammates including captain John Marquis.
Marquis is set for several weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury after undergoing a second scan. He was forced off inside the opening 14 minutes of Salop's midweek win over Barrow.
Shrewsbury's injury list has quickly grown, with Sam Stubbs, Sam Clucas and Marquis having been sidelined, alongside Bradley Ihionvien.
Boss Cowan said: “Being the leader he is, John has been in and around the group and is being that leader off the pitch which is what we are going to need.
“On the pitch, we are not going to see him for quite a few weeks now.
“The things that some people don’t see is the leadership and dedication to the players and club.
“John is among other players like Will Boyle, Tom Anderson and Josh Ruffels, they are very vocal in and around the place, making sure that the players are following procedure and that we have order.
“Having him about is massive, but on the pitch he is a real leader. He affects other players.
“It will be a blow for us. It is not great when you look at how we have had injuries. Sam Stubbs, Sam Clucas and now John Marquis, it’s tough.
“But, nobody is going to feel sorry for us, we have a healthy squad in terms of size, so they need to step up now.
“There is no feeling sorry for ourselves, we have to work as hard we can as staff to make sure those players come back.
“In the meantime the players who are going to get their opportunity need to show that they want to be apart of this club and win matches for us.”
Speaking ahead of Swindon Town's visit today, Cowan was hopeful Sam Stubbs would be available for selection again.
He revealed that the defender has been dealing with a "problematic" knee injury.
Stubbs returned to the Salop starting XI for Cowan’s first game in charge against Barnet after being frozen out by the previous management team in the months beforehand.
However, he was absent from the squads for trips to Colchester United and Barrow due to the injury.
Meanwhile, Sam Clucas' hamstring injury is not as bad as initially feared and he could return to the Salop squad soon.
