John Askey decided on Shrewsbury Town starting XI
Boss John Askey admits he has already settled on his Shrewsbury starting XI for Saturday’s League One opener against Bradford City.
Town will begin the campaign with a new manager at the helm after Paul Hurst’s departure and several fresh faces among the playing squad.
Despite there being several days before the new season gets under way, Askey revealed he knows the side he will pick to face the Bantams.
“I know what the team will be barring an unforeseen circumstances,” said Askey.
“For me it’s a nice position to be in to know what the team is going to be.
“I’m looking forward to it, it seems to have been a long time coming. But things have gone well and we’ve gradually improved as pre-season has gone on.
“When you get a settled side it helps because the players get used to each other.
“I thought on Saturday we played some really good football. There’s one or two things we need to improve on – and we will.”
Askey admits the sense of anticipation around the club has increased with pre-season over and the first game approaching.
“It starts to get a bit more tense with people looking forward to the game,” he added.
“It is a different feeling. Everything has been quite relaxed but you can feel from the players that they’re starting to get ready.
“We want to get to 50 points as soon as possible and when you’ve done that then you can look to do other things.
“That’s always been the case for myself. If you’re in and around 50 points come January, then you’re in a good position.
“But I only look at the games as they come. If you get too far ahead of yourself, then before you know it you can be in a bad position.”
Midfielder Sam Jones missed Saturday’s friendly victory at Port Vale with an injury but Town expect him to return to training in the next day or two.
