Salop social: Shrewsbury season ticket would be worth every penny

Chris Hudson

League One could be an absolute corker next season.

We’re likely to have at least two of Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town still plying their trade in the third tier. To that you can probably add Sheffield Wednesday, and maybe Birmingham City, too.

It makes for a mouth-watering fixture list – but also a daunting challenge for any smaller side hoping to be a mover and shaker in the promotion race.

Shrewsbury under Steve Cotterill have shown signs that they could be a force. Recruitment will be crucial and the manager will need the best budget the club can afford.

It’s for that simple reason that I am more than happy to pay the going rate when it comes to renewing my season ticket. There’s been lots of noise about discounts as a reward for loyalty during the Covid pandemic. I understand that, but let’s be clear – Covid is not Shrewsbury Town’s fault!

True, some clubs have already announced some grand gestures. Middlesbrough in the Championship stand out; simply rolling their season tickets over to next season with no further payment required.

I don’t think Shrewsbury can afford to do that. We don’t have the sponsors or the profile to so easily give up hundreds of thousands of pounds in ticket income.

Saving an extra £20 or £30 would not make a huge difference to me, but across three thousand season tickets it adds up to a serious sum for the club. It could be the difference between signing or missing out on that much-needed goalscorer.

A price freeze would be enough for me. I’m happy to pay my way – and be rewarded with a team that can scalp a few of those big boys and give us a campaign to remember.

Steven Jones

Time is running out for many of Shrewsbury’s out-of-contract players – and possibly those on the fringes, too.

Thirteen members of the current squad have deals running out this summer, while you also wouldn’t bet against some of those still under contract being told they can leave.

It’s looking like another almost annual summer of upheaval.

Few players did themselves any favours against Portsmouth.

Ryan Sears, who has previously impressed, was poor in the first half and taken off at the break. Even if the switch was tactical, he won’t get too many more, if any, chances playing like he did.

Dan Udoh and Curtis Main just aren’t clinical enough when the goalscoring opportunities come, albeit not as regularly as they might expect.

Behind them, Rekeil Pyke has struggled to make an impact and will be lucky to see out his three-year deal. A loan next season could save his Shrewsbury career, if he doesn’t leave permanently.

And while Harry Burgoyne – who has another year left on his deal – couldn’t do anything about Portsmouth’s goals, he probably hasn’t done enough to keep the number-one spot with this latest opportunity.

Nathan Rowden

When the news broke that Sergio Aguero was leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, I frantically hit up social media for a clip of THAT goal, which I remember celebrated manically in The Masonic pub.

It was ‘limbs’, as they now say.

Aguero will go down as a City and Premier League great, but I got a bit of a pang of sadness when I thought about how awful it is that he will get no send-off from the fans with the stands still empty.

That got me thinking about our own situation.

We all suspect Dave Edwards may hang his boots up at the end of the season, and what a shame if there were be no fans farewell at the ground for him.

This is a Shrewsbury boy through and through who has had a very good footballing career before heading back home to play in Shropshire for a swansong.

That really is a shame in the context of football.

Then there is Shaun Whalley. Who knows whether Shaun will be here next season? I hope so, but none of us know Steve Cotterill’s plans really.

If he was to leave at the end of the season after six seasons, again, Covid will have robbed him and the fans to show each other appreciation.

We will always have the memories, but we’d all love it to be different.