'Huge impact' - Gavin Cowan delighted with Kevin Berkoe's start at Shrewsbury Town
Gavin Cowan has praised the impact of his first signing at Shrewsbury Town - defender Kevin Berkoe.
Berkoe arrived late on January transfer deadline day, joining from Salford City. The move reunited him with Cowan, who he previously played under at AFC Telford United.
Since returning to work under Cowan, Berkoe has made an impressive start in blue and amber, featuring in each of Town’s last eight matches.
Asked about the wing-back’s influence, Cowan said: "I felt as though the balance of the squad - that was the one player that I felt like the tipping point was probably too far one way - we just needed him for the balance of the squad.
"Knowing what Kevin can do, I felt that he was going to have a huge impact and he has done just that. He's got real high energy, high-speed running and when he plays in this system particularly, he can be of real benefit.
"I had a really good conversation with him about how he's enjoying it and how he's playing for me again - we've got a real good close connection.
"Then, just making sure that he fits into a certain way. There are players out there, very good players that might not fit into our system.
"We have to be really particular around that and Kevin was definitely one that I knew would fit in there."
Berkoe is far from the only player to have contributed to Salop’s resurgence. Since arriving, Cowan has repeatedly stressed the importance of togetherness within the squad - and he has been impressed by the attitudes of those who have had to wait patiently for minutes.
Speaking at last month's supporters' parliament event, Cowan said: "There's some real talent there, isn't there? You've got Iwan Morgan, Tommy McDermott, your Kevin Berkoe’s coming to the club, Ismeal Kabia. There's some real talent in there.
"With the predicament that we've been in, we're looking for characters. We've got some real characters in there, there's the obvious ones, like Josh Ruffles and Will Boyle.
"But the ones that stand out, ironically enough, have been the ones that haven't played, and have just been really selfless and put the team and the club first. I think that's what you need when you're in this.
"When things are going well, it's easy to be a cheerleader in and around the place. But when things aren't going well, you really need men.
"But there's plenty of them. They've all stood up and contributed in their own way."