Steve Cotterill delighted with young Shrewsbury duo

The highly-rated young strikers joined the club's academy aged 14 and 16 respectively and have made a big impression on the first-team squad.

Bloxham, 17, was Town's Carabao Cup penalty shootout hero this month and was rewarded with a start at Portsmouth in League One on Tuesday. Caton, 18, was already training in Town's first team under former boss Sam Ricketts prior to the pandemic.

Cotterill referenced the pair's 'youthful exuberance' and insists that the strike pair, alongside academy goalkeeper graduate Jaden Bevan, help clubs like Shrewsbury survive. The three all penned their first pro terms this year.

"He's a great kid, which is why he's been involved, it's why I wanted to have a look at him," Cotterill said of Leicester-born Bloxham. "I saw him very early when I came in, he came and trained in that first month.

"I thought 'you're an interesting project' and he's such a great lad – and Charlie, to be fair – obviously Tom's physical attributes help him more than Charlie even though he's younger.

"We might have to go through a sufferance period as you do with young players. When I came in we had a lot of experience but a lot of players over 30.

"A football club can't survive without some youth in it. That's why Jaden (Bevan) is always with the goalkeepers and Tom and Charlie are with the first-team.

"They bring that youthful exuberance to everything. The fact that we've been beat won't affect Tom and Charlie too much, they'll be disappointed but come again. They've got good energy and will come again.

"Very rarely at a club do you get two young strikers, it's quite unique really."

Cotterill added the importance of allowing young players to see a progression through to the first-team picture. He suggested it a 'pity' Town did not have under-23s action to fall back on, something his predecessor was a public advocate of.

"It's a real pity we're not in an under-23 league, I'd like to see them play 90 minutes on a regular basis," Cotterill added.

"But I love working with them, great lads, really different characters. I want them to be around. I want the Dan Udohs, Rekeil Pykes to be around.

"We probably can't – but we could go and spent a lot of money to replace those boys but you'll never get the opportunity to bring them (youngsters) through. If we spend money on a striker and he gets injured then what happens?

"We've got young boys who want to prove themselves. There's such a freshness about them, they can take the cynicism out of football."