Steve Cotterill: Shrewsbury patient on Elliot Bennett’s injury

Bennett had a minor ankle procedure in July to clear up a long-standing injury.

The 33-year-old wing-back – who has had a distinguished career, including promotion success with Brighton, Norwich and Blackburn – has not featured for Town yet this season.

And Cotterill has said they need to be patient and give him the time he needs to recover.

He said: “The hard part after these operations is really the first month.

“For instance, it is a six-week lay-off, you have two weeks probably of rest.

“There is none weight-bearing and partial weight-bearing which are the real slow weeks but those weeks with Elliott are really slow because you need the injury to heal before you can start working it again.

“You know it is an absolute pain in the neck for me.

“But there is nothing I can do about it.

“We just have to be patient, it is not a good trait of mine.

“I don’t suspect many managers have got good patience especially when you are waiting for your squad to come together because it makes it more difficult in the mean- time.”

Town are still looking to make a couple of additions to the squad before the window closes.

The boss has previously that he would like another striker and a midfielder.

And with the injuries to Bennett and Aiden O’Brien, two of the squad’s more experienced players, the boss will want to bring in some quality that will make it easier for him to freshen things up.

Especially with the fixtures coming thick and fast for Town.

But Cotterill said the process of signing players is not necessarily straightforward.

“We are still looking and speaking to people, and looking at getting one or two in before the end of the window,” he said.

“You are in competition with a lot of people.

“It is not easy. You don’t just ring you up and say ‘can I have so and so?’ And they say ‘yes no problem’.

“Because there are four or five other clubs who down the line and you are all in that race and that fight to try and sign those players.”