Shrewsbury Town: Gareth Ainsworth reveals reason for squad size preference

Town added David Wheeler to their ranks last week. The 34-year-old was a free agent after leaving Wycombe earlier in the month. 

Wheeler's arrival means Salop now have 22 senior players in their squad, of which only 18 can be involved on a matchday. 

The Shrewsbury head coach is not having too much trouble leaving players out at the moment - he has had several injury concerns to contend with of late. 

Ainsworth said it is his preference to work with a smaller number of players who can feature in different positions, and he believes that is what new arrival Wheeler offers. 

He said: "I always do this (have a small squad ), and it is by design. I always work with limited numbers. I don’t like eight or nine in the stands. That is where the trouble starts.

"So this is all by design and my way of doing things, and to have multi-positional players is important, and he is definitely one of those.

"He is going to be a physical presence. He is a battler and can play in multiple positions.

"He is going to ease some of the legs in other positions. He can play up front, on the right wing, at wing-back and in midfield. He is a real Swiss Army Knife for us, so to have someone like that in our squad is great."

Salop are seven points from League One safety heading into a huge relegation six-pointer this weekend away at Peterborough United. 

They, along with Bristol Rovers and Exeter, are teams Ainsworth's side are chasing down as they bid to get out of trouble. 

"We have been below that line for a long time this season, and all we want to do is climb above it," he continued. "There are a few teams, and one or two will drop below it.

"For me, just keep pushing, keep working hard,  give our best, that's all we can do.

"Some of the passing (at the weekend) was not great, some of the touches, the runs, but as long as they are trying their best, I can accept all of that.

"There are nearly 40 points to play for, there is no reason why we cannot win a good amount of our games, and I will be telling the boys exactly that."