Stefan Payne looking to get back among the goals for Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town striker Stefan Payne is ‘confident and raring to go’ as he looks to put an end to his goal drought against Oldham Athletic.
Payne is Salop’s top goalscorer in all competitions, with 10, but has gone seven matches without hitting the back of the net.
He is expected to lead the line in tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy quarter-final at the Montgomery Waters Meadow, and said: “I am always confident and raring to go.
“Hopefully I’ll play and I’ll score a goal.
“This is good for some of us who haven’t been playing as much as we’d like to.
“It’s a chance to get some more minutes in your legs and be ready if called upon (for league games).”
Payne has been kept out of the Town line-up in recent weeks for League One games by Carlton Morris.
Boss Paul Hurst likes to play with one out-and-out striker and on vying for that spot with the Norwich City loanee, Payne said: “You cannot always both be playing but I appreciate he’s a great player – and vice versa.
“You just have to take your chance when it comes, really.”
While not looking to get carried away and think too far ahead, Payne has stopped and thought of the prospect of making it to the final at Wembley.
“The manager stressed from the very first game, Coventry away, that it’s not a cup competition to just rest players – he wants to win the competition,” he said.
“It’s the motivation now, to get to Wembley.
“A lot of managers might think that it’s an extra couple of games on the fixture list you don’t need if you’re challenging for the league.
“But you get to get to this stage, quarter-finals, and you think ‘wait, it’s only two wins from Wembley’.”
Payne has never set foot on the Wembley turf – and the 26-year-old is yet to lift a piece of silverware in his career.
Although, he has taken in the atmosphere of a big day, from the stands, at the national stadium as Barnsley won the League One play-off final in 2016, beating Millwall 3-1 – shortly after he signed for the Tykes from National League side Dover Athletic.
“I haven’t played there before so it would be great to get there,” said Payne.
“Barnsley, for the play-off final, I went there.
“I remember sitting there thinking that I am here at a League One club, and I could be at a Championship club at the end of this.
“And we did become a Championship club so it was a great feeling.
“The Millwall and Barnsley fans created a great atmosphere on the day, and it was a great game to be fair.
“Hopefully we can go there this season and have another great feeling.
“But we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves – we want to win tonight and then focus on the semi-finals.”
Town played Oldham at home in the league on New Year’s Day, beating them 1-0 through a Shaun Whalley strike. Salop also won 2-1 at Boundary Park back in September, with Payne and Jon Nolan getting the goals for Hurst’s charges.
Shrewsbury are third in League One while Richie Wellens’ men are 22nd, but Payne added: “With cup competitions, league form goes out the window.
“Oldham will want to get their season up and running again.
“But if we can go and apply the right attitude and application, we can get the job done.”
