Gavin Cowan reveals plans for Shrewsbury Town’s homegrown talents

Gavin Cowan said Shrewsbury Town’s homegrown young stars will be “absolutely imperative” to the club’s future.

Academy scholar Will Gray enjoyed a breakout end to the campaign, starting the final four games and impressing, while Isaac England made 16 League Two appearances across the season.

Cowan has spoken of his desire to develop a pathway from the academy to the first team and is keen for the youngsters to play a major role moving forward.

Asked whether the club’s youngsters are likely to feature heavily next season, he said: “I think they're absolutely imperative.

“We talk a lot about being brave and courageous, but I think when you're of a certain age, I don't know whether you're just naive to the pressures of it. Those lads seem to have a real bravery about them.

“They're home-grown, which is a better taste in the mouth when you're thinking about those guys coming through and performing at high levels and on big stages and being successful within a successful team.

“It's a proud moment for everyone around the football club. We took a couple of the really younger ones with us to Gillingham and just decided to also take our academy manager with us because they're the rewards.

“He's been with them probably seven or eight years, so we want to stay connected and make sure that everybody's getting an opportunity. We want to try and create that pathway. If they're good enough, they're old enough.”

The future looks bright for Salop, with several young stars progressing through the academy. Town’s under-18s enjoyed a title-winning campaign this season, with Cowan and his coaching staff regularly attending games and tracking the group’s progress.

The Salop head coach also left the door open for them to feature in pre-season and stake a claim for further first-team involvement.

Hugo Aiston starred for the under-18s and made history with his appearance in Shrewsbury’s final game of the season, while Jeval Thompson-McKenzie was also involved in preparations.

England appeared from the bench after struggling with a niggling injury and illness, and Cowan hopes the 18-year-old can enjoy a strong summer ahead of the new campaign.

“It’s been a little bit stop-start with him,” he said. “But as I’ve said to Isaac, it may be a blessing because he’s a young lad who’s had a lot of first-team football.

“Sometimes when you come out of it a little bit, you feel quite rejuvenated. So going into pre-season, he can be really optimistic.”