Micky Mellon: Signings will help Shrewsbury

Richie Wellens, James Wallace and Kyle Vassell were handed debuts as half-time substitutes in Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Barnsley.

It came after giving returning home starts to Jack Grimmer, Larnell Cole and Andy Mangan.

And Mellon is convinced they will add to the side as he tries to breathe new life into Salop's season, after they hit the drop zone for the first time since August.

Mellon said: "They're very good players and they'll definitely add to the team – you could see the ability they gave us, at times.

"They probably came into a situation you wouldn't have wanted them to – 2-0 down and chasing the game. They did fine and did well.

"The two midfielders – Wellens and Wallace – got on the ball and passed it well.

"There's the experience there and, more than anything else, there's the want and desire to try to represent the club well, which is important."

Mellon is keen to see more consistent performances from his side.

They put in woeful performances either side of the FA Cup win at Cardiff, during which they have conceded 10 goals.

He said: "I'm desperate to get some consistency. There were things we weren't getting right, such as pressing from the front we've worked so hard on.

"We allowed wingers to come off us into pockets and we failed to stop the ball going down the sides of our centre-backs. But we were also letting wingers turn and run at us.

"We've got to get those things right. These things we do in training and we spoke about them before the game.

"I don't know if it's a lack of focus or panic where they go right off the plan, but it never happened on Saturday."

Town have dismissed rumours suggesting Leyton Orient centre-back Jean-Yves M'Voto is joining them.

The 27-year-old played his last game for the Os on Saturday and was signed by Barnsley during Mellon's time as assistant boss at Oakwell.