Shrewsbury boss reveals potential injury return date for midfielder Jack Price

Gavin Cowan has revealed Shrewsbury Town midfielder Jack Price will be “pushing” to make his long-awaited return at Eastleigh in the FA Cup first round next weekend.

Shrewsbury-born Price has not featured since playing just 18 minutes on his ‘second debut’ for Salop against Salford City in the League Cup in August due to a hamstring injury.

But Price has been working his way into contention since returning to training and will be targeting a potential comeback in the FA Cup.

Price ‘pushing’ to be involved at Eastleigh

“He’s out on the grass a lot, to the point where I’m bending the ear of the medical staff,” head coach Cowan revealed.

“I’m constantly at them, saying: ‘He looks fine, let’s get him on the pitch’. It’s a bit too soon I think.

“But we’re trying to push him for the FA Cup game. He’s out there, he’s in incredible shape and he’s certainly utilising the time to get fit.

“It’s such an obscure injury that he can do his work out here on the grass. It’s one of those that is on the periphery, and if it goes again then that’s probably him [out] for the season. So we have to get it right.”

Cowan dispelled any notion that Price is in the camp to simply be a cheerleader and thinks he could be like a ‘new signing’ once he returns.

‘Like a new signing’ - Cowan on Price’s potential impact

“If we’d have had him on the pitch at Rotherham last week then he would’ve been the one to get 150 to 200 passes in,” he continued.

“That game was probably the reason that we signed him. I hear noise of: ‘Oh, he’s a local lad and he’ll come in as a cheerleader, or it’s the end of his career and it’s an old pal’s act’.

“It couldn’t further from the truth. The respect levels are far too high for any of that. Pre-season we were purring watching him.

“You get someone of his quality back, he’s going to be a really welcome addition. Like a new signing.”

Former Wolves man Price was signed by Cowan during his spell at Brackley Town in 2025, after spending nearly a year as a free agent.

Despite concerns over his injury record, Price went on to play 37 times for Brackley, before reuniting with Cowan at Shrewsbury in the summer.

“I got to see first hand at Brackley and offer him an opportunity to get himself back in the mix and start playing football again.

“And I anticipated he would play 20 games, but he ended up playing 40-odd. He was absolutely incredible for me there and was above the level.

“The idea to bring him in here as a senior player. Everybody who gets an opportunity to speak to Jack knows what a leader he is.”