Players hold signing session at the Darwin Cente clubshop
High-flying Shrewsbury Town and their manager Mickey Mellon had a special request for Santa when they visited his grotto in the town’s busy Darwin Shopping Centre yesterday – promotion and a League Two title, please.Mellon and his men will have to wait a few months to see if their presents arrive but in the meantime they enjoyed an autograph signing session with hundreds of Shrews fans, young and old at the shopping centre.
There was already a long and expectant queue well before the session was due to start at 2pm and the players, fresh from a 1-0 home win over which took them to second place in the table, were only too happy to oblige.
Season ticket-holders Tom, 12, and James Norris, 9, were thrilled to meet one of their heroes, midfielder Ryan Woods and Tom said: “I’ve supported them for a long time, I even saw them play at the Gay Meadow.
“It’s been great to meet the players today and I hope they can win the league and get promotion.”
Younger brother James was in no doubt though: “They’re going to win the league.”
Dad Phil said: “They’re real supporters and go every home game and they’ve even been to Wembley with them.”
Manager Micky Mellon enjoyed the visit to the shopping centre where the club have had a shop for the first half of the season and he said: “It’s been fantastic to be here and to be able to sit here and be face to face with our fans and share Christmas with them. The lads have really enjoyed it.
“We’re having a good season so far but we’ve got a lot of work to do to keep focused and keep moving the club forward.”
Shrews midfielder James Caton said: “It’s been nice for the fans to come down and meet the players, especially at this time of year.
“It’s great for the kids and so important for our communications with them for us to be seen in Shrewsbury like this.
“The season is going well, we’re second in the table and we’re going for promotion.”
Kevin Lockwood, Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said: “It’s been terrific to have the players here today and there’s been an excellent turnout.
“I hope we can do this again and perhaps they’ll be bringing a trophy with them sometime in the not too distant future.”
Football club chief executive Matt Williams said: “This has been the first time we have had a club shop in the town for a while and it’s been very worthwhile and something we hope to do again.”