Jack Price met with the press for the first time after signing for Salop and reflected on today's game.
The 31-year-old Salopian put pen to paper for Town earlier this week and this afternoon's win marked his debut for his hometown club, with Dan Udoh's 40th-minute goal enough to secure victory over Carlisle United.
The match was also Price's first competitive fixture in almost exactly a year, having suffered a 12-month Achilles injury in March 2023 while playing for Colorado Rapids in the United States of America.
Jack discussed all of the above in his post-match interview, explaining how proud he was to have finally made an appearance for his boyhood club.
ON MAKING HIS SALOP DEBUT:
"It was nice. It's always extra special when it's your hometown club.
"It was nice to come on. It's a tough one to come on to because we didn't have much of the ball and that, but it's just nice to be out there.
"A good reception and a good three points, that's the main thing."
ON PLAYING FOOTBALL AGAIN AFTER HIS INJURY:
"Yeah, (I'd hoped for) probably better circumstances (in the game) when coming off a 12-month injury but I'm looking alright in training and doing okay.
"I'm close to full fitness but still not quite there.
"They've been great with me. I've been doing my rehab and it's worked out quite well at this time."
ON IF HE'S ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY FOR SHREWSBURY:
"If it was a few years earlier it probably would've been better but I've got plenty more in the tank so it's all good."
ON HIS 12-MONTH INJURY:
"Yeah, it's not been good.
"The first six months were hard and you sort of doubt if you're going to come back from an injury like that. You push yourself as much as you can and you have good days and bad days.
"It was tough but I came back with Skitty and he's done great with me.
"And also the staff in Colorado, they were great in the first six months so it feels good to be back out there on the grass and to kick a ball.
"Hopefully I've got a few more years in the tank."
ON TODAY'S PERFORMANCE:
"Yeah, it was good. It would've been nice to have killed them off in the first half - I thought we had a couple of opportunities to go two or three nil up before half-time.
"We had a few in the second half too, even though we were probably camped in a little bit more.
"But it was a good win. The lads worked hard and they dug in for the last 15-20 minutes and it was a deserved win I think.
"I don't think they offered too much in the end. They had that one header at the end and Marko made a save in the first half but I think he (Carlisle's player) was offside.
"Apart from that it was a good day and a good win.
"It keeps us moving in the right direction."
ON DAN'S GOAL:
"I give him stick because I want him to score a hat-trick! But one will do and to get the three points is nice. He's a great lad."
ON WIDENING THE GAP BETWEEN TOWN AND RELEGATION:
"It is (important) at this time of season but we just have to go game by game. It's easy to say 'oh, we've won now' and take our foot off the accelerator but we have to keep going.
"I think it's Oxford next on Good Friday so it'll be a tough test, they're a good team.
"We've just got to keep going, get as many points as we can and not even worry about what's behind us or below us.
"We just have to keep playing how we're playing and hopefully keep getting points."
ON HAVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT THE GAME TODAY:
"Yeah, it was nice. I had a few tickets that I'd asked for today so it was a great reception warming up and coming on so it felt nice to have my lad and my girl here.
"It was special for me and my family. My dad wasn't here unfortunately, he was working, but apart from that everyone was here and it was a good reception - really proud."
ON BEING A LOCAL LAD:
"It is (his team). My sister used to bring me down to the Gay Meadow when I was a kid so it's my town and hopefully, I can play a lot more games here."
ON THE LONG-TERM PLAN:
"I'm just getting back into it after a year's lay-off.
"The club have been good with me, hopefully I can be good to them and repay them.
"For now it's short-term until the end of the season, there's only seven games left now anyway, but hopefully I can get as many games as I can, prove myself, prove my fitness and then we'll go from there in the summer."
ON FITTING INTO THE DRESSING ROOM:
"The lads are great!
"I've been in and out since the summer with Skitty so since the start of the year I've been in most days and then for the last three weeks or so I've been in every day.
"It was an easy transition really. The lads have been great and I've just been looking forward to getting that moment out on the pitch with them.
"They've been good, they've been great."
ON HIS TIME IN AMERICA:
"I was there for six years.
"I probably had four and a half or five good years. The last year obviously with my injury was tough, but yeah, I loved it.
"The lifestyle, football, playing against some amazing players and it's just a different experience of playing football.
"That ship has probably sailed now so let's concentrate on here and going forward and see what comes up in the summer."
