Shrewsbury's Carl Winchester happy to be back in thick of the action
Carl Winchester is pleased to be back in the Shrewsbury Town fold after a brief spell on the sidelines injured.
The 29-year-old joined Town on a season-long loan deal from Sunderland on deadline day, and after finding his feet at the club, he has settled into life in Shropshire well.
He has put in good performances in difficult games for Salop, but just as he was finding some momentum, he picked up an injury in training.
That meant he had the come off in the seventh minute against York Cityand it then ruled him out of the league game against Oxford and only enabled him to make a brief cameo against Barnsley.
But he was back in the starting XI team at Hillsborough last weekend, putting in another impressive display, and he admits he is pleased to be back helping the team.
He said: “Obviously, I came off during the York game as I took a bit of a knock during training the week before.
“Then it wasn’t right (during the match), and then the next two games I was on the bench.
“Thankfully, I completed 90 mins on Saturday, which is a positive.
“It is hard if you are not 100 per cent. You don’t want to let yourself or the lads down.
“On a Saturday or a Tuesday, you need everyone to feel right, and you want to give it your best shot.
“So sometimes when you are not 100 per cent you just have to hold your hand up and be honest.
“It is good to be back in the fold now.”
Today’s game at the Meadow against Peterborough United is the return of FA Cup action to Montgomery Waters Meadow – a competition the club has done well in of late.
A victory will see Town in the hat for the third-round draw, which is exciting for fans and players with the prospect of getting a big tie against Premier League opposition, and Winchester has his own experience of big games in the FA Cup.
“I have some really good memories of the FA Cup,” the former Cheltenham Town man continued.
“You win this game then fingers crossed you could get a big team.
“That is the dream of everyone, they want to go and play in the biggest stadiums in England.
“I know the boys got a good draw last season, so hopefully if we get through, they can repeat that this season.
“When I was at Oldham we picked Liverpool out in the fourth round.
“They had Suarez, Gerrard, Sturridge and Henderson – it was a really good team.
“We were the underdogs that day, but at home, you have that chance, and we went and won 3-2 – it was something I will never forget.”
