Why Josh Ruffels chose to stay at Shrewsbury Town - and what he wants next

There had been question marks over whether the 32-year-old would remain at Town after his contract expired at the end of last season.

But Ruffels, who originally reunited with Michael Appleton at Shrewsbury, said it was an easy decision to commit his future to the club.

“Me and the manager had conversations early on, it went really well,” he said.

“It was more of a case of making sure it was right for my family and I was always going to take my time with that.

“But in the end, it was quite a simple solution and one that I’m pleased with.”

Aside from a four-game suspension during the second half of last season, Ruffels was a regular under Gavin Cowan and played a key role in helping Salop secure League Two safety.

His start to the new campaign has been disrupted by injury niggles, and he missed Town’s trip to Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. But the prospect of regular game time under Cowan appealed to the 32-year-old and played a part in his decision to sign a new deal.

He said: “100 per cent. The age I’m at now. Before Shrewsbury, when I was at Huddersfield, I was in and out of the team constantly and it’s hard to find a bit of form.

“But when you’ve got a better chance of being in that team and showing what you can do, you start picking up form and that was something that really appealed to me.”

Town endured a difficult start to the new League Two season, winning just once in their opening five games, but have shown signs of turning a corner in their past two matches.

Ruffels, though, has ambitions that stretch beyond simply improving on last season’s finish and wants to make his time at Shrewsbury one to remember.

Asked about his goals, Town’s vice-captain said: “To get promoted. It’s not a personal goal but it’s the one that I really want.

“As you get older, these are the big moments in your career that you really want to remember.

“I’ve done it before. I’ve got out of League Two before and this is something that I really want to strive for again.”