Luke Leahy told from outset he was central to Steve Cotterill's Shrewsbury plans
Luke Leahy has revealed Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill eyed him up as a central midfielder on the pair's first ever meeting.
The Town boss met with the then Bristol Rovers left-back at the beginning of the summer and, following successful talks, Leahy checked in as Cotterill's first signing of the window.
The experienced 28-year-old began the campaign as Town's regular left wing-back, ahead of last season's young player of the season Nathanael Ogbeta, but has more recently found himself in the middle of his side's midfield after injury to Josh Vela with Shrewsbury low on numbers.
Leahy admitted the role is alien to him, but said the manager spoke early on as to how he saw him capable in the centre of midfield. Leahy feels he is learning and improving in each game.
"Playing that much in that position, I'm always going to develop into being more comfortable in it," said Leahy, who looks set to claim Town's player of the month award for October, to back up the prize he was voted for by fans in September.
"I like to ask questions and absorb information. It's something for the manager I suppose, once everyone's fit and everything, to see what he does.
"I'm enjoying it, enjoying the football that's the main thing."
Leahy added: "When I first met him back in June he said he could see me playing there.
"I just thought 'if needs be' – which it has been – but I'm really enjoying it, each game I'm getting more comfortable and learning more things about where to be, especially with the likes of Shauny (Whalley) and Digga (Davis), there's a lot of experience and talking, that helps me a lot."
The left-sider-turned-central midfielder made it four goals for the season, to bring him level as top scorer with Ryan Bowman, with a bullet header from George Nurse's long throw to rescue a deserved point in last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Lincoln.
Two of Leahy's four efforts have been headers and Town claim they should have taken all three points as Matt Pennington's effort from a corner was controversially ruled out.
"I timed it well and headed it into the corner," he added. "I thought we looked very dangerous, obviously from the throw-ins, but even from corners and free-kicks and we should've had a couple of goals from set-pieces, with the disallowed one too.
"It's good competition, as long as one of us is scoring, anyone in the team, then we're all happy."
