AFC Telford United 0-0 Shrewsbury Town - Report
Shrewsbury Town and AFC Telford United played out a useful 0-0 friendly at the New Bucks Head as the neighbours stepped up their pre-season preparation.
Steve Cotterill and Paul Carden's sides were well matched on a competitive evening in muggy conditions in Telford.
The contest delivered no goals but there were chances for either side, notably late on when a Bucks substitute trialist and Town captain Daniel Udoh could have won it for their team.
For Cotterill's Salop it was a first friendly of the summer, with sterner tests to come against Championship duo Burnley and Cardiff in the next week.
Carden, whose side have already faced Market Drayton and Whitchurch, handled the step up in quality impressively, with supporters no doubt encouraged by a positive display.
Two of Cotterill's six summer signings were handed starts in the first friendly - defensive duo Chey Dunkley and Taylor Moore. Dunkley once had a trial with Telford in his non-league.
Midfield pair Jordan Shipley and Tom Bayliss were on the bench, as was Coventry loan wing-back Julien Dacosta.
Aiden O'Brien was absent from the squad, but had made the short trip to Telford. Elliott Bennett, who is from Telford, was another uninvolved but in attendance.
Town were in their familiar 3-5-2 system, with Bristol City loan recruit Moore in a defensive midfield position in front of the back three.
Rekeil Pyke, who spent last season on loan at relegated League Two outfit Scunthorpe, started at right wing-back. There was a midfield start for 18-year-old academy graduate Josh Barlow, who signed his first professional deal this summer.
Udoh, a popular golden boot winner at the Bucks Head before his switch across county in 2019, captained Shrewsbury at his old club.
It was revealed ahead of kick-off that hosts Telford were on the verge of adding to their ranks in the form of successful trialist Kobe Jae Chong, an attacking midfielder.
The 21-year-old is of Malaysian descent and had spells at West Brom and Kidderminster as a youngster. He earned a move to Peterborough United through a trial last summer.
New recruits Nathan Blissett, Prince Ekpolo and Josh Dugmore all started - the latter for his first appearance. Matty Brown, the summer defensive capture from York, was absent through illness.
It was Carden's hosts who forced the first opening of the game after nine minutes, while some Shrewsbury fans stuck outside the ground were still making their way inside due to ticketing and turnstile issues.
A Byron Moore corner was nodded down by Harry Flowers and turned off target on the spin by Liam Nolan.
Town's first effort of note was a deflected strike from Udoh from all of 45 yards, with goalkeeper Luke Pilling stranded, but the strike dribbled at Pilling.
Defender Matthew Pennington then glanced a header wide from Luke Leahy's corner.
Both sides enjoyed decent spells of possession. Town defenders Tom Flanagan and Dunkley escaped wobbles losing possession to Devarn Green and Blissett, but Telford were unable to take full advantage as Green's strike was blocked and Jae Chong could only poke at keeper Marko Marosi.
Pyke showed a willingness to run forward and attack the left side of Telford's backline.
Town's best move of the first half came from lovely skill from teenager Tom Bloxham, who fed Leahy who then fed the unmarked George Nurse on the left.
Left wing-back Nurse cut in smartly but his right-footed shot was blocked for a corner.
The first half tempo dropped away a touch but Flanagan nodded a decent chance from a corner wide at the far post.
Cotterill introduced new recruits Shipley, Bayliss and Dacosta at half-time along with Ryan Bowman.
Telford flyer Green - who overcame a first-half injury scare - livened up the start of the second half with a fierce strike from Jae Chong's cross that flew narrowly over.
Town turned the screw around the hour mark as Flanagan - dangerous from set-piece deliveries - looped a header that Pilling had to tip over.
Bayliss and Dacosta caught the eye with some excellent deliveries.
But Telford should have taken advantage from a quality delivery from left-back Brad Bood, only for Blissett to miscue his connection. Moore's follow-up cross was then palmed away by Marosi.
Both side's passed up glaring chances for a late winner as Telford assistant boss Carl Baker, on as a sub, crossed well but his delivery was nodded wide by an unmarked trialist.
Before, down the other end, loanees combined as Dacosta fed the overlapping run of Moore, whose cross was just turned wide at the back post by Udoh at his old club.
AFC Telford United (4-2-3-1): Pilling; Dugmore (trialist, 70), Flowers, Piggott, Bood (Daniels, 70); Nolan, Ekpolo (trialist, 80); Moore (Jez Abbey, 80), Jae Chong, Green (Baker, 80); Blissett (Evans, 70).
Shrewsbury Town (3-5-2): Marosi, Pennington, Flanagan, Dunkley, Moore, Nurse (Bayliss, 45), Leahy, Barlow (Shipley, 45), Pyke (Dacosta, 45), Udoh (Caton, 87), Bloxham (Bowman, 45).
Subs not used: Burgoyne, Bevan, Craig.
Attendance: 1,934 (692 Shrewsbury fans)
Referee: Matt Scholes
