Dean Holden put pen to paper on a contract late last Friday that made him a Shrewsbury Town player.

Right-back Holden started his career with Bolton Wanders and then had spells with Oldham Athletic, Peterborough United and has spent the last two and a half years in Scotland with Falkirk.

The lads were back yesterday for the start of pre-season training and ShrewsWeb spoke to Dean after training: "I'm delighted with the move and that I'm now a Shrewsbury town player.

"The move came about last week when I was down in Newquay on holiday and found out that the gaffer was interested.

"I was keen to get up here and to meet him and managed to do that on Friday and to have my medical.

"The first impressions were great from pulling into the stadium and what the gaffer talked about and how he wants to do things this season.

"The thing that stood out a mile was the professionalism of the set-up and the way the gaffer looks at things.

"I know a few of the boys here and when I spoke to them last season and seeing how happy they were made me to want to come and have a look.I know Muzza really well and it must be the happiest that he's been in years."

Town just missed out on promotion with a defeat to Gillingham in the play-off final last year.This season the club will be looking to go that one step further and Dean has seen enough in the squad to make him believe that is achievable: "That is the aim here and probably the aim of every club in this division.

"It's ok to talk about it but you need to do the hard work all the way through the season.

"We have as good a chance as anyone and if everyone keeps the right attitude and professionalism though the season then we have the players in the squad to achieve it.

"I've played against some of the lads here before and so I know that there is good quality here."

In 2007 he picked up a broken leg against in SPL game against Celtic which kept him out of action for a while.He's over that problem and believes he is in much better shape than before the injury: "I feel fine now and came back from the leg break in October and played about 25 games since then.

"In strength and fitness wise I'm much higher than I was before I got injured.

"I'm just looking forward to getting down to the training with the lads, get the fitness work out of the way and then get the balls out and have a bit of fun."

Yesterday was the first day of pre-season training with all the lads working hard in the sunshine at Sundorne.At lunchtime the Gaffer brought in the first of the distance runs but Dean was pleased with his performance: "The main thing was a 12 minute run in between the other bits and pieces of exercise.

"That was an interesting thing to do and see where we all were fitness wise but I was quite pleased with where I came."

Dean played over 50 games for Falkirk in the SPL and played in some big games against the likes of Celtic and Rangers.He loved his time over the border but with two young children he felt it was time to come back home: "I had a great two and a half years at Falkirk and come away with two children who were born in Scotland.

"I've got nothing but good things to say about Falkirk and the people that I worked with and the friends that we made there.

"Scotland is a beautiful place and I'm glad I got the chance to play there and hopefully I have come back a better player and a better person.

"After Christmas I'd made the decision that I wanted to come back to England as me and my wife wanted to get back closer to the northwest with our young children so once this opportunity came aboutI wanted to get here as quick as a I could."

Over his career Dean has played against Shrewsbury a number of times buts the club that he joins is a different one than the one at Gay Meadow: "It looks totally a different club and the stadium stands out but it's about what you put on the pitch.

"It's like a new business where if you go to a new office it doesn't mean that you are going to achieve better results.

"This is a platform to attract players and I am really looking forward to getting the chance here and can't wait to get started. "

It is early days so far but the Town squad has impressed Dean with the balance of youth and experience that it posses: "You do need a good mixture and what I have noticed is that there are some really good senior pros here.

"At Falkirk over the last couple of years there were a lot of young lads and I found myself as one of the older boys in there.

"I've come to a squad here where there is a real good crop of senior pros but equally I've heard one or two things about the younger lads.

"I've got a good feel for the way the gaffer wants to put the side out and what he wants us to achieve."