Dave sold the Shrewsbury dream to Chey Dunkley
Dave Edwards has revealed the role he played in convincing new recruit Chey Dunkley to head to Shrewsbury Town.
Former Town and Wolves midfielder Edwards is an associate of Dunkley’s, who hails from Wolverhampton, and said the former Wigan and Sheffield Wednesday defender reached out for some assurance ahead of a free agent switch to Shropshire.
Edwards, who was released by Steve Cotterill’s Town last summer, told Dunkley, 30, Shrewsbury was ‘the best place in the world’, before adding the club were a couple of top-quality additions – such as the defender – away from pushing for League One promotion.
“Chey’s someone I know reasonably well, I’ve never played with Chey but we’ve got mutual friends and we’ve met a few times,” said Edwards of one of Town’s six new summer recruits.
“He’s a really nice kid and we’ve always got on and built a friendship with similar interests away from football.
“He’s from Wolverhampton and used to follow Wolves a lot, he asked about Shrewsbury and I told him it’s the best place in the world to live and that he’d absolutely love it!
“I think he’s going to move closer to the area, I think he’s committed to moving to Shropshire.”
Dunkley, a League One title-winner with Wigan, is one of several eye-catching additions from Cotterill and head of recruitment Keith Burt this summer as fans and onlookers suggest Town could be potential dark horses this term.
“He asked my thoughts on the club, I told him it’s got the potentially to be fighting at the top end of League One and having a Championship push like a few years ago,” added Edwards, who featured for Bala Town this week in a 2-1 first-leg Europa Conference League defeat to Sligo Rovers.
“The infrastructure since that Paul Hurst season has come on leaps and bounds. Paul Hurst and Steve Cotterill were big parts of that. Steve Cotterill, the chairman and Brian (Caldwell) are taking it to new levels now.
“It is a Championship-ready football club and it’s about getting the right team. The club have backed the manager, on paper it looks like Shrewsbury have done some of the best business in League One.
“It should put Town right in the picture, they have to be looking at top half. I do get the feeling there’s confidence at the club. I told Chey with some momentum there’s no reason the team can’t compete.
“All it was missing was players like himself, a few star-quality players with a bit of depth, and we won’t be far away.
“He said he was very impressed after conversations with the club and got a lovely feel.”
