Defender Pleased With Overall Performance
Defender Matt Tootle claims he is happy with Shrewsbury Town's performance against Championship side Birmingham City on Tuesday night despite the result.
Two defensive errors inside the opening 15 minutes, pounced upon by Wesley Thomas and Clayton Donaldson, handed Blues the victory.
And despite the impressive performance, the former Crewe man insists it is vital to kick out the silly mistakes that led to both goals for the Championship side.
“I thought we did well despite the defeat,” said Tootle.
“Two mistakes cost us but apart from that we dominated possession.
“We spoke in the dressing room after the game and all the lads understood that when the season starts we can’t be making the errors like we did today.
“Despite the goals I don’t think there was a period of the game where Birmingham were in control. Our attack was strong and we led the pace but that doesn’t count for anything when you give sloppy goals away.”
The 24-year-old managed 70-minutes against Birmingham and is relieved to be getting back to full fitness after being side-lined for over eight months through a combination of illness and injury.
“I haven’t played a game for eight months,” said Tootle. “This is the first 70 minutes I have played in a long time and it will take time for me to get back to the level I want to be at. Games like this today are a massive help to get me back to match fitness. I’m building now ready for the season and I’m putting all the work in to make sure I’m raring to go on August 8.”
Tootle showed glimpses of his capability during his recent outing and is looking forward to more challenging friendlies, with Saturday’s game against Wolves the third Championship side in a week to visit the Greenhous Meadow.
“I can’t wait for the season to start now, I’m looking forward to Wolves on Saturday too,” claims Tootle.
“You want to test yourself against good opposition in the championship so it has been a great week to play three championship teams.
"We have been tested but that is great as it is making us sharper for the upcoming season.”
And Tootle is delighted by the atmosphere amongst his team mates since joining Town and believes the feel good factor around the club can benefit them on the pitch.
“I have loved my time here so far. The lads are fantastic which makes me really enjoy coming into work. Sometimes as a footballer you can be at a club where you don’t enjoy going to work and the atmosphere can be negative but here everyone is positive and there is a real feel that this club can do well going into the new season.”Tootle added: