Young defender pleased with move to Shropshire
Shrewsbury Town’s new right-back signing Joe Riley says the calibre of signings made by Micky Mellon helped convince him make the move to Shropshire.The 24-year-old has become the eighth new face this summer after signing a two-year deal at Greenhous Meadow following a move from Bury for an undisclosed fee.
And the former Bolton Wanderers man says seeing the type of players being brought into the club encouraged him to sign.
“It is great to be here. It has been a long time coming but it is great to get it done and I can’t wait to get going,” he told ShrewsWeb.
“I know quite a bit about the manager from speaking to various people and that was a massive thing in me coming here.
“It definitely seems like a club on the rise. It was a tough decision to leave Bury. Having a promotion with a team is always good and it was hard to leave but I am here now and I can’t wait to get going.
“The recruitment was quite a big factor in me coming here.
“I have seen the signings that have been made and it looks like a good squad is being assembled so it is great to be here.”
The move will be the first time Riley moves permanently to a side outside of his native north-west. He spent six months on loan at Oxford United and he says being out of his comfort zone is something he is willing to do.
“I missed a couple of years of football at 19 and 20 and I now just want to play as many games as I can and hopefully get to the highest level,” he said.
“Going on loan to Oxford for six months was a great thing. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone.
“This isn’t as far as Oxford so it will take me out of my comfort zone but I am willing to do it and move on.”
Riley said he liked the look of Shrewsbury as a place and that the club was one that looked like it was going places in League One.
“It is a good base to work from. It is a good club in League One and I want to play at the highest level so hopefully that is with Shrewsbury,” he said.
“I have only heard good things about Shrewsbury as a town. It looks lovely. The area and the stadium are great so I can’t wait to get going.”
The defender will be remembered by Town fans for scoring a sensational goal for Bury at Gigg Lane against the Town in the League Two promotion campaign.
As well as wanting to keep clean sheets, Riley wants to net goals and assists in the Blue and Amber.
“I am a right back but I can do a job at right midfield as well but I am definitely right hand side based. I have played there ever since I was a kid so that is the position I know,” he said.
“If I can get a few goals I will be happy but the main thing for me is assists. I got five last year so I want to try and double that this year.
“That is a massive part of my game and I want to contribute to other people scoring goals.”
Riley will now enjoy a weekend off before joining up with his new teammates for pre-season training on Monday morning – something he says he is looking forward to.
“It is nice to get your feet under the table before the start of the season so the timing is quite good,” he said.
“Pre-season as a footballer you have just got to get on with it and get your head down and work hard.”
“You never know what can happen in League One – it is a bit of a crazy league. You can have good runs and bad runs but you can end up in the play-offs. You just never know.”
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