Youngster gets international call-up
Shrewsbury Town youngster Dominic Smith has received his first international call up from Wales.
Central defender Smith, a local lad about to complete his first season as a scholar at the Greenhous Meadow, has been named by Geraint Williams in the Welsh under-19 squad for next week's friendly against Northern Ireland.
The match will be played at the Hollingsworth Group Stadium, Airbus UK, Broughton on Wednesday, May 1 (7pm) and admission is free.
It's tremendous news for Smith, 17, and also Shrewsbury Town's youth department which continues to produce young international footballers.
Smith's fellow first year scholar Callum Burton, a goalkeeper, has already been capped by England at under-16 and under-17 level.
"Dom joins up with the squad on Sunday and will be with them for three or four days," said Wayne Evans, the club's delighted head of youth.
"I'll go and watch him play and it's great for him as an individual and his family. Dom's over the moon and I spoke to his mum who thinks it's fantastic.
"He's put a lot of work in and he's had a great season.
"He's a Shrewsbury lad and he's had a great first 12 months with us. He's been in the reserves for most of the games and he's done fantastic."
Smith qualifies through having a Welsh grandmother.
"He's 17 so it's a great opportunity," added Evans. "He'll go in there and enjoy the experience.
"Dave Hughes, who used to be at Shrewsbury, is assistant to Geraint Williams with the under-19s so that will be good for Dom as he knows him.
"Wales must have watched him one or two times and Dave knows all about him so it's all good."
Evans stressed it was a source of great pride to everyone involved with the youth set up at Shrewsbury Town that they now have two players involved with the international scene in Smith and fellow Shropshire lad Burton.
"That's a massive thing for us," he said. "It's great for the youth department that we can produce one or two players that we think have got some potential so hopefully we can keep doing that.
"It's great that we can say to young players that if they come to us they will get the chance to develop and then also you'll maybe get chosen for your country."