Luke Leahy has been a 'great signing' for Shrewsbury says Steve Cotterill
Luke Leahy’s ability to handle his emotions was one of the reasons Shrewsbury Town boss Steve Cotterill made him club captain.
The former Bristol Rovers man was made skipper at Montgomery Waters Meadow prior to Town’s EFL curtain raiser at Morecambe on the opening day of the 2022/23 campaign.
And since being appointed skipper, he has led by example for Town on and off the pitch, and Cotterill says Leahy’s ‘emotional intelligence’ is a skill that makes him a good fit to be a captain.
“I said about him being captain because of his emotional intelligence,” the experienced boss said.
“It was one of the reasons he got it, and that is what I like about him.
“When you are talking about being a footballer, it is almost like it is a big part of being a captain.
“You have to be a giver if you are going to be a captain because there are lots of times you are going to have to support.”
Town currently sit 10th in the League One table ahead of their clash at Charlton Athletic today, and it has been very successful to this point for Cotterill’s men.
And Leahy is one of the players who has excelled, starting every single league game and getting 11 goals – which is a career-best tally.
Cotterill says the role of a captain can be difficult, as at times you are required to be the go-between the manager and the players.
“It is an awkward one sometimes because the manager might be right about something, but you also want to support your team-mate,” Cotterill continued.
“So there is a balance that has to be in between if I need something done or sorted, but the player doesn’t want to do that.
“It doesn’t happen very often, in fact I am struggling to think of something, but sometimes your captain can be a bit of a go-between, so we have many chats about lots of things, not just football, life, so he’s a good lad who has been a great signing for us.”
After today’s trip to The Valley, Shrewsbury have a busy 37 days to conclude the League One season.
They welcome Peterborough United on Good Friday before making the trip to Oakwell to play Barnsley, just three days later.
Town will want to maintain their good form for the rest of this campaign as they bid for a top-10 finish.
