Gavin Cowan provides Shrewsbury Town captaincy update

A new captain has been chosen to lead Shrewsbury Town, but boss Gavin Cowan is keeping the identity of his skipper under wraps for now.

Defender Sam Stubbs captained Salop for an hour of their pre-season victory over Everton Under-21s before being replaced by Will Boyle, who took over the armband.

After the match, Cowan confirmed a decision had been made over who will lead Town into the new campaign, but explained why he wanted to keep the announcement in-house for a little longer.

Asked if there was anything he could reveal, the Salop boss said: “Not yet, no.

“Internally they know, but I feel it’s right for them to take it on board first. It’s for them to discuss among themselves.

“I’m happy to reveal next week. But just at the moment, it’s important for the group, it's their business. I’m happy to hand that to them.

“Just in the footballing world, in the footballing changing room, it’s something that they get to revel in and get used to first before it gets out there.

“So I think that’s important for them. But yeah, I’ll happily do that at the weekend.”

The captaincy has been vacant since John Marquis left Shrewsbury at the end of last season. Boyle served as vice-captain under the striker and wore the armband on several occasions while Marquis was sidelined through injury.

Boyle and fellow centre-back Stubbs are viewed as strong contenders for the role, with Cowan previously praising the pair’s leadership qualities when discussing the captaincy

Town host Championship side West Brom at the Croud Meadow on Saturday as they look to continue their positive pre-season form. Cowan indicated he would be happy to reveal the club’s new captain after that fixture.