Shrewsbury Town favourites discuss memories as Shaun Whalley nears milestone

The milestone appearance is a rare feat in this day and age. The Town hero, 34, is the first to reach that figure – and only second since the move to Oteley Road – since Kelvin Langmead more than a decade ago.

And prior to that you needed to go back to the 1990s, where reaching such landmarks was a more common affair, as the likes of Kevin Seabury, Paul Edwards, Mark Taylor, Dean Spink, Tommy Lynch and Mickey Brown all went above and beyond 250.

We caught up with two former Town favourites to hear their recollections of lengthy stints in Shropshire.

Centre-half Langmead, 36, who reached two League Two play-off finals with Town, still plays at non-league step three Banbury United. He said: “To have been at one club for that period shows incredible loyalty and professionalism. I don’t know Shaun personally but a player of his quality he would’ve had interest from other clubs.

“It shows he really enjoys being at the club and how well he looks after himself, playing younger than his years.

“I look back and think ‘that’s pretty amazing to be at one club for six years and play that amount of games’.

“It tugs on your heart strings a bit, I gave six years of my life to Shrewsbury and loved every minute bar being a whisker away from promotion.

“It’s a great town, great club, I learned so much in life and football having joined around 19 and left at 25, some really fond memories.

“To stay there for so long you have the affinity and become ingrained in the club. It’s a really good club to play your football and fantastic area to live.”

Goalkeeper Edwards, No.1 throughout the ‘90s and nicknamed ‘the Eagle’ by Shrewsbury fans, is now a senior regional director at National House Building Council and living in the Cotswold’s. He keeps an eye on the results of Liverpool, his first love, and those of Town.

“I recall the last game at Gay Meadow, Roland (Wycherley) put a really good function on and invited the top 50 appearance makers still alive and I was quite surprised to be sixth with 365 in all competitions,” Edwards said.

“I made 142 consecutive appearances and then Fred (Davies) left me out for a little bit until I came back in and made another 109 in a row. You’ve got to perform and be consistent. I don’t think I was the best goalkeeper but I was consistent and I think that’s what you want.”

The former Crewe keeper, who went on to turn out for Telford and Newtown, recalled the chants of ‘Eagle’ while doing the half-time raffle at a game a few years back.

Edwards, 56, a Division Three title winner and Wembley finalist with Town, said: “Steve Anthrobus, Spinky, Ian Stevo, Mark Taylor, we had some great craic. I’ve got some great memories over nine years and would’ve liked a 10th and testimonial but one Mr Ratcliffe denied it.

“Maybe that’s why we were successful in that period between ‘92 and ‘97. I’d put a lot of it down to the number of appearances over the five or so years. John Bond signed a few and then Fred added to it and that cohort did quite well until the relegation. We had that core spine with Mark Williams and Dave Walton in defence, they would run through brick walls for each other, those pair.

“Back then if players had a bad game or experience other lads would help them but it seems more individualistic now.

“My normal routine is look for the Liverpool score and then the Shrewsbury score. It (that affinity) with fans definitely means a lot, there were times they helped me through when I wasn’t having the best of spells.

“Every player wants the fans to like them and luckily for me they were good for me and I’d like to think I was good for them.”

Langmead, who made 261 appearances for Town (including four Shropshire Senior Cup appearances), remembers being part of a young side having initially arrived under Peters from Preston as a centre-forward.

He said: “Gary Peters got young lads in and built a team, me, Ben Herd, Dave Edwards and Joe Hart coming through, Neil Ashton, there’s Jamie Tolley and Sam Aiston from within the area.

“But me and my then girlfriend and now wife bought our first house there. I loved it there, being part of the football club. We loved walking into town.

“There are good people in charge that care about the club and give it that community feel.”

He added on switching to centre-half: “I was asked to fill in, we were short with injuries. I was threw in a reserve game on Tuesday and then starting on Saturday!

“I remember so clearly with Hopey (Richard Hope) or Sagi Burton, I remember people sitting up before kick-off and the murmurs around the ground like ‘what’s going on?’ as I lined up in centre-half wearing No.8.

“I think we lost 1-0 to Lincoln but I just remember there was no pressure and I just kind of rode the wave. I thought ‘this is working’, I was thrown in the deep end but had good players around me.”

And recalling Wembley heart-break against Bristol Rovers and Gillingham, the stopper said: “The second (play-off defeat) was harder to take, we’d got the chance to rid the demons from the first time with a different team, but we conceded that late Simeon Jackson header and that was the game.

“I still think ‘what if?’ but those days are all parts of my story.”

Edwards was man of the match the first time Town appeared on Sky Sports TV – ironically at Steve Cotterill’s Cheltenham, where Salop head on Saturday – where he helped the visitors record a 1-0 victory in the clubs’ first meeting in 1999.

The former goalkeeper said: “We had some success, winning Division Three and I was part of the team to be first to play at Wembley, although that ended on a bit of a sour note. The better memory was winning the semi-final second leg against Bristol Rovers when I saved a penalty and Ian Stevens scored 10 minutes from the end and we hung on.

“Then we had the League Cup run in ‘93, knocked out top flight Southampton and took Blackburn to a replay, they’d just signed David Batty with big money and he won a penalty late on by dropping like a sack of s***. The draw had been made and the quarters were Tottenham away.

“Being a Liverpool fan that was the big one. Ray Bailey tried to switch it to Anfield but we couldn’t due to policing and ended up 11am on Sunday. Bob Paisley had just died and we were on the centre circle facing the Liverpool fans with You’ll Never Walk Alone playing, I was in bits. I played at Wembley twice but I would’ve given them up to play at Anfield.”