Smith relieved to chalk up first success
Liam Daddo-Langlois scored his first senior goal as Shrewsbury eased past Leek 4-0 to seal their first win of the season in Midlands Hockey League T2 West Midlands One.
With Shrewsbury dominating possession throughout the first half, it took until just before half-time for Jonny Williams to score the opener.
Early in the second period, a second goal calmed the nerves as Jack Humphries converted his second strike in as many weeks.
Mike Debenham ventured forward from defence to score Shrewsbury’s third, capping off a great move.
Leek’s goalkeeper pulled off a number of outstanding saves but Daddo-Langlois netted to put the icing on the cake.
Skipper Adam Smith said: “We’ve been playing pretty well so it’s good to get the first victory.
“We’ve had quite a few tough umpire calls and not been clinical in front of goal. It’s a new team with a lot of youngsters but we’re going in the right direction.”
Shrewsbury play Redditch away on Saturday.
The second XI were also winners after they returned from Buxton with a 2-1 success.
Shrewsbury started brightly against a compact and well-drilled Buxton team and looked to dictate the play through sustained possession.
After several dangerous attacks, George Manders finished smartly under the keeper to give Shrewsbury the lead.
Buxton looked to overload the midfield and levelled before the break through a big, crash ball that found its way to the forward.
In the second half, Shrewsbury continued to drive forward with some great wing play. A fantastic pick from Sam Brookes led to a risky challenge from the Buxton defence which gave Shrewsbury a penalty stroke which was slotted home by Steve Brooks.
Table-topping Shrewsbury III returned from Much Wenlock with a win after defeating Ludlow II.
Shrewsbury started brightly with an early flowing move ending in a penalty corner. From this opportunity, Lyndon Boydon came up from the back and dispatched an accurate finish.
The remainder of the half saw both sides trade blows only for the goalkeepers to show their dominance.
The second half saw the Shrews pushing for a second and Nick Hutton swept the ball in. This forced Ludlow to push for a response, but Bayliss Jackson latched on to a through ball and rounded the keeper for 3-0.
Shrewsbury look to extend their unbeaten run at home to Bloxwich on Saturday.
