Shrewsbury Town 2024-25: End of season player ratings

In a season where Salop only managed to pick up 33 points from their 46 games and they lost 29 times, the players are always going to come in for some criticism. 

Only Morecambe and Southampton lost more league games than Shrewsbury last season and something went badly wrong at the Croud Meadow. 

The Shropshire Star has picked 10 Town players who played more than half of the league games throughout the campaign to see what their overall season rating was. 

Jamal Blackman

The keeper did not sign for Shrewsbury until the day they played Wigan - the final game before the Christmas break. 

From there on he started all the remaining league games. His start to life at Town was superb. He was excellent in his first few months. 

But as Salop’s chances of league survival faded away his form dipped and there were lots of costly mistakes that led to goals, and he was released at the end of his contract. 

Rating: 5.7 

Luca Hoole

The defender arrived in the summer after leaving Bristol Rovers. He had an up-and-down campaign. It did not start particularly well, and he struggled under Paul Hurst. 

Gareth Ainsworth’s appointment in November saw him re-establish a regular place in the starting XI, but ultimately the Welsh youngster would be disappointed to have been part of a defence that conceded so many goals over the course of a season. 

He seemed to thrive under Michael Appleton towards the back end of the season. 

Rating: 5.5

Josh Feeney

The young defender’s time on loan from Aston Villa got off to the worst possible start with him picking up a hamstring strain in his first training session. 

That meant he could not feature until September, and by that point, Town had already endured a difficult start to the campaign. 

He was well-liked by Gareth Ainsworth who often went on record to say he had a big future in the game, but Town did concede goals galore all season. 

For his first full season in professional football, and given he was part of a team that were relegated, Josh Feeney did not do too badly. 

Rating: 5.7 

Morgan Feeney

He made 36 appearances in total, 34 of those coming from the start of games. 

Morgan Feeney is a steady footballer, but he is not the commanding and dominating defender that Shrewsbury needed last season when things were going the wrong way. 

It was his second season, and he did OK alongside the likes of Chey Dunkley in his first campaign, but Town conceded so many goals this season that it is hard to be overly positive about any of their defenders. 

Rating: 5.4

Mal Benning 

A really tricky campaign for the left-sided defender. He ended the 2023-24 season brilliantly, being one of the standout players for Hurst. 

He penned a new two-year deal last summer, but despite making the most league starts of any Shrewsbury player, he was unable to pick up where he left off and he struggled for the majority. 

He is still under contract in Shropshire, he is an excellent pro, and he will be determined to put that right this season. 

Rating: 5.2 

Alex Gilliead 

Arguably Town’s player of the season. He re-signed for the club on deadline day alongside Funso Ojo. 

He had an indifferent start to the season, which in part felt like it was because he was being deployed out on the wing - he produced his best football playing in the centre of the Town midfield and he had a strong finish. 

He managed to cover a lot of ground and he would always run with the ball and carry it up the field. You get the feeling he will be an essential part of Appleton’s plan as they prepare for life in League Two. 

Rating: 6.1

Jordan Shipley

The former Coventry man is such a talented footballer, but of the three years he spent in Shropshire, this was no doubt the most difficult season. He was excellent under Steve Cotterill, and not bad under Matt Taylor and Paul Hurst. 

But, for whatever reason, he just could not get going for Salop this time around. So talented, and he has a wand of a left foot, but it was not the season that he would have hoped for. 

Rating: 5 

Taylor Perry

A difficult campaign for Perry who found himself out of favour at the start of the season. He must be commended for his attitude though. Each time he got his chance in the early part of the campaign he delivered for Shrewsbury. 

After Hurst was sacked he came back into the fold more under Ainsworth and Appleton, with the former clearly impressed by the former Wolves man, enough so to trigger the option in his contract. 

Rating: 5.8 

George Lloyd 

One thing you can never question is the work rate of the former Cheltenham man. He covered every blade of grass week in and week out, and he was a real handful for opposing defenders to deal with. 

The issue from his perspective would be his lack of goals. He managed just five in 44 league appearances. For his game to go to the next level he will want to improve his numbers. That will be his target in League Two this season. 

Rating: 5.7

John Marquis 

It was an up-and-down season for Marquis, who found himself out of the side in the early part of the campaign. The obvious low point would be the red card he received at Peterborough. That was a crucial game in Town’s quest to stay in the division at the time which they ended up losing. 

Ultimately though, he scored 11 goals in a team that were comfortably relegated from the league - that is not something to be sniffed at. If he can replicate that goal return, or better it this season, then that would be considered a successful one for the former Portsmouth man. 

Rating: 5.8