Dominic Smith and Jack Gwilliams both handed first team squad numbers
Graham Turner is encouraged that the club's youth development programme continues to produce talented youngsters with Shrewsbury-born prospects Dominic Smith and Jack Gwilliams both handed first team squad numbers.
Defender Smith, a first year scholar, and exciting winger Gwilliams, into his second year at the Greenhous Meadow, have both trained regularly with the first team in recent weeks after impressing in the reserves.
Both travelled with the first team for the first time to Bury on Friday before Gwilliams was named on the bench for the Boxing Day clash against Notts County.
"Jack's a wide player, a youth player at the moment and he's been training with the pros fairly frequently recently and has never looked out of place," said the manager.
"He's a confident lad, in some ways not unlike Jon Taylor in that he wants to take full backs on.
"He's not been fazed with training with the first team so it's nice to see one or two of the young lads getting the chance to sit on the bench. It was a good experience for him."
GT added: "We took both Jack and Dom to Bury on Friday. They've not looked out of place at all training with the first team, going in with the senior pros and both have good ability.
"Both deserve to be training with the first team and travelling to Bury.
"I spoke to them on the coach before the Bury game and told them just to enjoy it, get experience from it and that it would stand them in good stead for future occasions."
Smith, comfortable at right back or centre half, has been handed the squad number 31 and Gwilliams number 32.