‘Only the beginning’ - Will Brook’s big Shrewsbury Town message after Salford City triumph

Shoot-out hero Will Brook insists Shrewsbury Town’s dramatic season-opening victory is “only the beginning”.

The 22-year-old saved four penalties as Town edged past Salford City to reach the Carabao Cup second round.

And after their summer rebuild, Brook believes there is plenty more to come from Gavin Cowan’s new-look side.

“You can see how much we have been working over pre-season,” he told the Shropshire Star.

“The gaffer has been working very hard during the off-season to get players in. We’re bonding really well.

“This is only the beginning, so we are only looking up from here.”

Town won an enthralling contest 4-3 on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw, with Brook emerging as the hero with four saves.

The 22-year-old said celebrating in front of the travelling supporters was right up there among his career highlights.

“It’s definitely up there,” he added. “It’s just a brilliant feeling to put that in front of the fans, especially down in front of them in the away end.

“It is definitely up there, probably at the top to be honest.

“Their keeper also made a lot of good saves. I am just really happy with how it ended.”

Sixteen spot-kicks were taken in total, with Salop missing several opportunities to seal victory before Arkell Jude-Boyd fired home the winner.

Saving four penalties in a shoot-out is something Brook admitted was a new experience - and one he cherished.

“Definitely not,” he smiled. “Me and Harry (Burgoyne), we go through all the penalties beforehand. He’s got a big part to play. I’m buzzing.”

Brook had a number of possible outcomes written on his water bottle to study during the shoot-out, with that pre-match research by goalkeeper coach Burgoyne coming in handy as he produced the vital saves.

But as the dramatic spot-kicks went on, Brook had to rely increasingly on instinct.

“When we were speaking just before the penalty started, he said to trust your instinct,” he explained.

“A lot of the players on the bottle ended up coming off, so they weren’t even involved. After around four or five penalties, it was just natural instinct. So I am delighted.”

The cup triumph marked a perfect start to the new season for Shrewsbury following their summer rebuild, while also delivering another memorable victory at Salford under Cowan after their comeback win there in February.

“The gaffer puts a lot of time and effort into the tactical side of things, like trusting the process,” Brook said.

“We go through everything that we need to a few days before the game. So, we’re mentally and tactically prepared, and then it's up to us on the day to follow this process, make sure we get the job done and that's what we did. So, I am very happy.”