Steve Cotterill: Call up experience will only benefit Shrewsbury youngster Josh Barlow
Steve Cotterill believes promising Shrewsbury Town youngster Josh Barlow will benefit from his first-team experience down in Charlton.
Midfielder Barlow, who is Town under-18s captain, travelled to the capital with Cotterill’s senior team last weekend and was an unused substitute at The Valley in League One.
Barlow, who only turned 18 in January, joined Shrewsbury from hometown club Cheltenham last summer. He is a combative midfielder, standing at 6ft 1in, and has made an impression on Cotterill and his staff during training with the senior squad at Sundorne Castle.
“He’s been up training with us for a few weeks now,” Cotterill revealed. “The likelihood is he wasn’t going to get on the pitch on Saturday, but I think he’s performed well when he’s come up and trained.
“He’s a real nice lad, needs to fill into his body which he’ll do obviously in a period of time.
“He trained well and caught the eye. What you want to do is give those young players the experience of something like on Saturday.
“It was similar trying to get Tom Bloxham, Saikou Janneh and Charlie Caton on the pitch against Liverpool.
“The experience of it will hopefully be a bonus for Josh looking forward.”
Barlow has caught the eye for Town under-18s this season, with academy chief and first-team coach David Longwell and his staff having made decisions on the futures of second-year scholars, details from which are set to be revealed soon.
It was a first appearance in the senior matchday set-up for the teenager, adding to the likes of defenders Kade Craig and Callum Wilson and attacker Louis Lloyd who have been in and around the squad this term.
Cotterill said of Barlow’s qualities: “He’s a responsible boy, a nice kid, there’s a lot of development needed but he’s a good footballer.
“He doesn’t know it all but he makes good angles, it’s about his physical development and how he goes on. It was about bringing along a real nice kid who trains well and is really humble.
“His parents must be very proud of him, he’s a nice kid.”
Tom Bloxham, 18, has enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season and was honoured with the club’s Young Player of the Season award at Tuesday’s presentation at Montgomery Waters Meadow.
