Shrewsbury's Elliott Bennett would have welcomed extra competition
Team player Elliott Bennett insists he would have welcomed January competition for his right wing-back role at Shrewsbury.
Vice-captain Bennett, 33, the summer recruit from Blackburn, has started all but one of Town’s 31 League One matches this season – barring a one-match ban in November.
He has been Steve Cotterill’s go-to man almost exclusively at right wing-back this season, aside from a couple of stints in midfield, and is likely to continue on the flank at Plymouth tomorrow as Town head hit the road in league action again.
Cotterill has been keen to bolster his options in Bennett’s position, but efforts last summer and the January transfer window last month were unsuccessful. Town thought they had a loan deal wrapped up for Coventry’s Julien Dacosta until the Frenchman headed elsewhere at the final minute.
Telford-born and based Bennett, who has often won praise from Cotterill for his consistency and playing through injury issues, said: “The gaffer was honest with me, he said that he was trying to bring somebody in to compete in that area.
“I just said to him ‘yeah, great’. I’ve spent my whole career with competition and I think that only makes football clubs better.
“I’ve always said throughout my career that if I’m playing or not if the team wins, then everybody wins.
“I’m a big believer in that, obviously in an ideal world the team wins and you play every week.”
Rekeil Pyke, who was sent on loan to League Two basement boys Scunthorpe last month, played out of position at right wing-back for a couple of games prior to Christmas.
Josh Daniels is another in Town’s squad who has history in the position, having featured there last season, but a lot of the Northern Irishman’s campaign has been blighted with injury.
Bennett continued: “But you only have to look at the most successful clubs, they (their players) don’t play every week. If the gaffer was able to get one in I’d have welcomed them into the group like anybody else and tried to provide that player with competition for the position to give the manager those headaches.
“Because the more headaches the manager’s got about team selection, rather than not having enough players, is always better.”
Salop head to Home Park tomorrow looking for a first win in six at the Pilgrims, where they have been without victory since the opening day of the 2001/02 season.
