Goal hero Matthew Pennington is interested in making his Shrewsbury Town stay a permanent one
Goal hero Matthew Pennington has opened the door to extending his Shrewsbury stay into a permanent one after helping his loan club secure their League One status.
The on-loan Everton stopper, 26, admits he has loved his stint in Shropshire, playing with a 'great' group of team-mates and manager in Steve Cotterill.
Pennington, who put in a star overall display as well as netting the crucial winner at Blackpool on Saturday, is out of contract at Goodison Park this summer and has said he is moving on to find a permanent home. The defender has made 16 appearances for Town and is understood to be open to a full-time Shrewsbury switch.
"Yeah, why not?" replied Pennington when asked if he would like to stay at Town beyond the summer.
"I'm looking to find somewhere where I enjoy my football and move forward in my career.
"To get a permanent place is what I'm really looking forward to, so why not?
"I really enjoy it here, it's a great group of lads and a great manager."
Pennington overcame a dislocated shoulder after just two games of his loan spell and has managed to lock down a place in Cotterill's defence since returning.
His winner at Bloomfield Road mathematically ensured Town will be playing League One football next season.
"It's always better when you get a win!" Pennington added. "In the sun as well, it was a nice day for us to secure safety.
"It was important we got the win after the last few results, we're delighted.
"We stuck to the gameplan really well and limited them to few chances. Everyone was on it.
"I've been trying to add more goals to my game, in the last few games I've been getting to the end of things more, it's something I'm trying to work on."
Assistant boss Aaron Wilbraham feels the defender, who kept his place as Town switched from a central defensive three to a two, has been an unsung hero in blue and amber and is a reliable member of the backline.
Wilbraham said: "He always does (have his body on the line), Penno, he's the type of character you want to have in the team.
"He's a great lad, he's always there, if someone makes a mistake he's usually the one mopping up.
"He does an unsung job a lot of the time. And not just the goal, his defending, his reading of the game was excellent."
