‘He’s capable’ - Boss backs new Shrewsbury Town striker to deliver the goals

New Shrewsbury Town frontman Josh Davison has been backed to go on a goal trail after opening his account.

Davison netted on his and Salop’s competitive debut at Salford City on Saturday, following a pre-season brace a week earlier.

And boss Gavin Cowan hopes the goals can continue to flow for his summer recruit during the new campaign.

Asked if he hopes Davison can go on a goal trail, he said: “He’s capable. We’ve seen him do it at Swindon, at Wimbledon. That’s why I’ve brought him here.

“We can’t get too emotional with strikers not scoring goals. Have they been playing in the right teams? Have they had enough confidence? Have they been playing in the right system?

“Look, we’re not in a market for a 25-goal-a-season striker. We’re just not there, they cost too much money.

“What we are is people who have done it before, who are capable, and we think we can do it in our system.

“Josh is one of them. Joe Gbode is one of them. George Lloyd is one of them. I thought Lloyd was excellent on Saturday, by the way. We feel like they can go and score goals.”

Davison scored nine goals in 21 appearances on loan at Swindon Town in the 2021/22 season, before netting another nine for AFC Wimbledon the following term.

But the 26-year-old has scored just six League Two goals across the past two campaigns.

He joined Shrewsbury on a free transfer this summer following his departure from Tranmere Rovers, having spent the second half of last season on loan at Cheltenham Town.

The forward will look to continue his scoring form when he visits former club Tranmere on Saturday for Salop’s League Two opener.

“Josh has proven that he’s capable at this level,” Cowan added. “He’s had a couple of years where he’s probably not done that.

“A little bit of confidence now has probably come back. He’s excited about being at this football club.

“He’s gone for big money, it doesn’t just go overnight. He’s recapturing his confidence, he’s recapturing what he should do in certain areas.

“You’re seeing elements now of his ruthlessness coming back, his desire to score goals, understanding that that’s his job in the team. We’ve got three there that we’re really pleased with.”