Rob looking forward to the new challenge at Shrewsbury
Shropshire lad Rob Edwards is delighted to be back in his home county after joining Shrewsbury Town on a month's loan from Championship club Barnsley.
The experienced defender, a cousin of former Town midfielder Sean Parrish, was born in Telford, grew up in Madeley and recalled as a youngster that he used to watch Shrewsbury games at the club's old Gay Meadow ground.
Now the Welsh international, capped 15 times at senior level, is keen to show what he can do in a blue and amber shirt having joined Town in time to be available for Saturday's trip to Preston North End.
"I'm local so I know what it means to everyone around here," said Edwards, 30. "I've been to quite a few Shrewsbury and Telford games in my youth.
"I know Shrewsbury are as high as they've been for quite some time. One of my mates, Lee Collins, was here on loan from Barnsley a couple of months ago so I was picking his brains last night and speaking to him about it.
"It's a fantastic set up here, different to the one I used to come and watch games at. I'm glad it wasn't flooded when I turned up today as some of the fields were when I drove past on my way to the ground!
"It looks great and it's a completely different club to the one I used to come and watch when I was a boy."
Edwards knows Town winger Paul Parry from playing alongside him for Wales and now he's looking forward to playing his part in trying to help Shrewsbury climb the table over the next few weeks.
"I've been around a little bit now," he said. "This is my ninth club so I'm a bit of a journeyman at the moment!
"I've been in the Midlands before as I started at Aston Villa and then moved to Wolves. I then went to Blackpool and I've had various loan spells.
"I've been at Norwich, Derby and Crystal Palace, and most recently at Fleetwood which is local to where I live so that was enjoyable.
"I'm contracted at Barnsley at the moment so it's great to be here and I'll hopefully do well for the club."