Shrewsbury facing major player decision
A decision on whether Shrewsbury Town will recall Tom Bloxham from Morecambe is set to be made soon, according to head coach Matt Taylor.
The youngster has impressed during his loan spell with the Shrimps, despite finding himself on the bench during their recent New Year’s Day clash with Harrogate – a game which ended as a 2-2 draw.
With the injury crisis that is plaguing Shrewsbury Town at the moment – which sees seven players missing from the first-team squad – questions have been asked about whether Bloxham could return to Shropshire to complete the season.
“We have had a really good conversation about that,” Taylor said.
“It is something that we spoke about last week for a couple of hours. What we have got to do first and foremost is what is right for the club and also think about Tom.
“If he comes back he has to either start or finish every game because he has had a really positive loan and he is someone who understands what it means to play for Shrewsbury.
“I think it is the 7th of January, that if we do call him back, it will be around then. If he does come back he needs to impact the team, and I am sure he will do.”
He has played 24 times for the Shrimps in League Two, not yet scoring a league goal.
But he has netted twice in the FA Cup, both times against League One opposition, first against Lincoln and then against Wycombe Wanderers.
Meanwhile, the boss has also confirmed that decisions on their own loan players are expected to be made soon. Ryan Finnigan, Kieran Phillips and Brandon Fleming have all been out injured for a long period.
“We have conversations this week about them,” he added. “I think we have until the 7th or 14th of January to make decisions.
“But we can’t make decisions until we know where they are in terms of their rehabilitation.
“Those players are back at their parent clubs, so until we have the date set in stone as to when they will be returning to play it is difficult.
“We are hoping to get that information soon and that gives us an opportunity to either keep some of the players or make a decision as with where we are right now, in terms of the squad, it might not be right. I cannot give you any concrete information on that one right now.”
