Josh Davison hasn’t been pulling up any trees - but Shrewsbury Town could be the perfect fit

It was a fantastic late win over Aston Villa’s youngsters on Saturday.

Regardless of who Villa fielded, they’re at a Premier League club for a reason. Shrewsbury can only beat what’s put in front of them, and that’s exactly what they did.

For Davison to grab his first two goals for the club is a massive boost, both for him personally and for the team.

Every striker needs to see the ball hit the back of the net. Goals breed confidence, and going into the first competitive game of the season against Salford City this weekend after a win and a brace can only be a positive.

I’m really pleased for Davison. Getting off the mark in a Town shirt is huge because confidence is everything for a striker.

A forward full of confidence is a dangerous forward. If he can find the net again against Salford, there’s every chance he’ll go on a run.

You see it so often with strikers - once they start scoring, the goals keep coming. That’s what confidence does. To score twice at the Croud Meadow just before the competitive action begins is the perfect way to build momentum.

He’s one of the players I’m really looking forward to watching this season. He hasn’t exactly been pulling up any trees in recent years, but maybe Shrewsbury is the place where it all clicks for him. Hopefully, this is his time.

Another player I’m excited to watch is Isaac Fletcher.

I’ve mentioned before that, despite Barrow’s difficult season last year, you could see he had real quality. He’s comfortable on the ball, reads the game well and has plenty of ability.

It was great to see him get on the scoresheet again too. If Shrewsbury have a striker and a number 10 building an understanding while both are contributing goals, that bodes really well for the season ahead.

It’s also encouraging to see how quickly Fletcher has adapted to the way Gavin Cowan and his management team want the team to play. That’s exciting.

Salford will provide a tough test. It was difficult there during the previous campaign and it’ll be no easier this time around, but Shrewsbury went there and got the job done on a Tuesday night last season. Hopefully, they can do it again.

The squad also looks to be in good shape heading into the season. Every time you hear Gavin speak after a pre-season game, he talks about keeping players fit and healthy. That has clearly been one of his biggest priorities.

With Jack Price and Luca Hoole, there’s hope they could be involved if everything goes well this week. If not, I’m sure they’ll be ready and raring to go for the opening league fixture.

I’ve never liked the term ‘friendly’ because I don’t believe footballers ever treat games that way. You can have a kickabout with your mates in the park and everyone still wants to win.

But now it’s the real thing. Facing a League Two rival in Salford makes this an even bigger test and a great opportunity to build momentum ahead of the league campaign.

I fully expect the lads to go there, put in a strong performance and try to get the win.

A lot of people say they’d rather start with a league game, but this is where football is now. Whether it’s the cup or the league, it’s still a competitive fixture and both teams will be desperate to make a winning start.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the lads back out there.