Hurst to give youth a chance against Telford
Shrewsbury Town are expected to field a younger looking side tonight as they take on AFC Telford United at the New Bucks Head.
The likes of Dan James, Ebou Adams and Zak Jules are all likely to be given game time, as well as Town’s five first year pros.
Town boss Paul Hurst believes it will provide a good opportunity for a number of players to get some minutes under their belts.
“Some of the young pros will be involved”, Hurst said.
“People will probably look at the line-up and think that more of the first-team lads played on Tuesday night against Cardiff, but for me it’s just a younger side with people who still have a chance of making the first league line-up.
“If there are any fans that are interested in going I would say go and have a look because there’s still going to be some good players on show and I’ll be expecting a good performance from them.
“Some lads will have been on the bench against Cardiff and will then have to be ready the following day, so on that side of things it’s not perfect, but we are hoping we can come through injury free.”
The five first year pros were involved in Town’s penalty shootout defeat to Shawbury in the Shropshire Senior Cup last week, but Hurst hopes they can remain positive and show signs of progression against Telford.
“I want them to maintain a positive attitude”, said Paul.
“We said from the start that this will probably be the hardest year of their footballing lives because you feel a long way away from actually getting the nod of being in the first team.
“They’ve trained with us most days. There’s only been the odd day when they’ve gone away with the youth team in order to prepare for that Shawbury game, so they are in the environment, but it is tough.
“I don’t want to baby them. They are young men now and they’ve got to make that step up. You’ve got to have character, but I would suggest it’s one of the easiest squads to feel part of because of having some good lads around.
“It’s about looking at the bigger picture. When we spoke to them we said that we didn’t expect them to be making an impact, but if they could then great. At times they’ve done well and at times they’ve struggled a little bit, but that’s natural.
“One thing that’s been apparent is the fact they haven’t been at the front of any of the running. They need to keep working on their fitness levels and that will be constant throughout the season, but when opportunities arrive, like Wednesday, they’ve got to show signs of progression.”
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