Danny Coyne praises 'natural goalscorer' Fejiri Okenabirhie
'Natural goalscorer' Fejiri Okenabirhie has won praise from Danny Coyne after he starred in Shrewsbury's comeback win against Rochdale.
The 22-year-old summer signing from Dagenham & Redbridge notched his first League One goal for Shrewsbury - a first strike in the Football League - as Coyne, in temporary charge of Town, made it two wins from two this week.
Okenabirhie's stabbed finish from a Josh Laurent pass as the game entered its final quarter made it 2-2 after Ollie Norburn's opener from the spot was cancelled out. Norburn's deflected strike from distance sealed the three points.
The striker started just four of former boss John Askey's 17 league games in charge of Town, and Coyne suggested he believes Okenabirhie should have had more of a crack at it.
"He'll score goals that lad. For me he's a natural goalscorer, that's why I try to get him on the pitch all of the time from a long time ago to be honest," said Coyne.
"Because I can see what he does in training, he will score goals.
"He just looks to score all of the time, and he looks to run in behind as well. He did it a number of times.
"Josh Laurent can break forward in that role as well."
Shrewsbury's energy was noticeable at a buoyant Montgomery Waters Meadow.
Coyne, who had a fine reception with the fans at full-time, added: "Everybody pressing the way we did, we knew we could nick things from them and create chances.
"Unfortunately, I don't want to put a dampener on it, we gave two awful goals away. The lads know that.
"There were probably a couple of scrambles where we should've cleared things better but overall I thought we had the better chances."
Coyne revealed he left out striker Lee Angol after deciding Lenell John-Lewis was the striker he wanted on the bench.
He also backed Norburn's decision to take the first half spot-kick rather than Greg Docherty.
"He took the penalty, I told Greg I told him to take it - which I hadn't!" Coyne laughed.
"He took it and buried it. And from the edge of the box again, this is what he does, he can score. I know it was a deflected goal but if you don't shoot it's never going to go in.
"It's the first time he's got a brace in his career, he said, so I'm delightful, made up for him."
