Shrewsbury Town notebook: 11 initial takeaways from Villa victory

Isaac Fletcher’s brilliant late strike gave Shrewsbury Town victory over Aston Villa’s youngsters in their final pre-season outing.

Here are the key talking points from Salop’s 3-2 victory…

Gray sets the tone

Will Gray set the tone with a crunching early tackle that drew a huge cheer.

The academy graduate flew into the challenge, won the ball cleanly and immediately imposed himself on the game. It was another confident display from the teenager, who signed his first professional contract only days before.

Familiar faces

There were several familiar names in Villa’s line-up.

Former Shrewsbury loanees Tommi O’Reilly and Josh Feeney both returned to the Croud Meadow after spells with Salop during the 2024/25 season. O’Reilly received a warm reception when his name was announced before kick-off.

Absentees

Jack Price and Luca Hoole remained absent as they continue their recoveries from injury, while Sam Stubbs missed out with a niggle.

Price, Hoole and Jay Snook were all out on the pitch before kick-off completing individual ball work.

Selection clues?

With this Town’s final pre-season fixture, the starting XI offered a strong indication of the side Gavin Cowan could name at Salford City next weekend.

Josh Ruffels returned after illness, while Josh Davison and George Lloyd again led the attack.

Kevin Berkoe and Arkell Jude-Boyd started at wing-back, with the latter continuing his impressive pre-season by creating the opening goal with an excellent cross.

Sang and Turner-Cooke advanced

Tom Sang, Will Gray and Jay Turner-Cooke formed the midfield trio.

Gray operated in the holding role, allowing Sang and Turner-Cooke to press higher and support the front two. Sang was particularly influential, delivering several dangerous balls into the box, including the free-kick for Davison’s second goal.

Fast start rewarded

Town started brightly and were rewarded through Josh Davison’s first goals for the club.

The striker showed two different sides of his game, reacting quickest to score from close range before powering home an excellent header from Sang’s free-kick.

Proctor’s nightmare moment

The friendly formed part of Sam Proctor’s loan move from Villa, but the goalkeeper endured a moment to forget against his parent club.

Will Boyle’s back-pass slipped under his foot and rolled into the net for a bizarre own goal. He was almost caught out again soon after when he was rounded after hesitating off his line, although Villa failed to capitalise.

Villa respond

Villa improved as the game wore on and dominated the opening stages of the second half. Their pressure paid off when Ben Broggio rifled home an excellent equaliser.

Jude-Boyd catches the eye

Arkell Jude-Boyd was one of Town’s standout performers.

The wing-back was a constant threat down the right, repeatedly delivering dangerous crosses and playing a key role in the opening goal. His attacking quality has been one of the most encouraging aspects of Shrewsbury’s pre-season.

Anderson involved again

Tom Anderson came off the bench for another pre-season appearance.

He remains the only member of the transfer-listed quartet to feature during preparations for the new season. Cowan has previously admitted he would like to keep the experienced defender, but believes the squad requires greater balance.

Fletcher’s moment of magic

Take a bow, Isaac Fletcher.

The attacking midfielder produced a superb curling strike to win the game and cap another impressive pre-season display. After also scoring against West Brom, Fletcher heads into the new campaign in excellent form and looking ready to make an impact.