New intake for the youth side
Shrewsbury Town have offered two-year scholarships to seven youngsters from the start of next season, six of them from Shropshire.
Goalkeepers Alex Aston and Shaun Rowley, defender Ryan Hickman, central midfielders Alex Fletcher and Niall Flint, and forwards Kaiman Anderson and Jeff Watkins have all signed after impressing the club's head of youth Wayne Evans and his assistant Peter Wilding.
"Six of them have come through with us and Ryan arrived last October from Wolves," said Wayne.
"Most of them are local lads too which is good news.
"They're Shropshire lads, all Telford-based apart from one of them who is from the Midlands.
"We know quite a bit about the lads, their family and their backgrounds, so we know what they're like. It's more difficult when we get players in that we don't really know. It's a bit touch and go sometimes.
"But these lads have all been involved with the youth team at times this season so that's been good. It's been good exposure for them."
Wayne stressed the continued promotion of players from the youth ranks to the first team squad continues to be a good selling point when it comes to convincing youngsters to join Shrewsbury.
He said: "With Ryan Woods and Elliot Turner signing pro at the end of last season, the likes of Connor Goldson, Tom Bradshaw and Jon Taylor all playing this season, it's good for us and it's a massive selling point that there is opportunites to go on and play in the first team.
"Jack Gwilliams and Dom Smith, both still scholars, have also been involved on the bench for the first team this season and they're both ticking along and doing okay.
"It's good that there's a pathway to go from us into the first team."
Wayne added it was now important the new crop of teenage talent hit the ground running when they join the full time staff at the Greenhous Meadow.
"They'll join the programme and will start with us either late June or early July," he said. "They've got to realise the two years with us goes very quickly so when they come through the door they've got to be ready to go to work.
"You can't have six months finding your feet. You've got to come in and start. That's been proved with Dom Smith. He came in last summer and has played with the reserves, the youth team and been involved with the first team on the bench a couple of times."