Development Friendly Provides Good Test For Town
: Andre MarrinerREFEREEUNUSED SUBS: Liam Bateman.
: Benjamin Siegrist (GK); Tiago Ilori, Janoi Donacien (Tom Leggett, 45), Niall Mason (Jordan Lyden, 45), Lewis Kinsella (Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, 45), Henry Cowans (Ben Swift, 45), Rory Hale, Andre Green (Kodi Lyons-Foster, 45), Jerell Sellars, Khalid Abdo (Jake Humprheys, 65), Charles N'Zogbia (Jake Hayes, 65). ASTON VILLA LINE-UP
UNUSED SUBS: Joel Carta, Jordan Wilson, Jack Butts.
: Shaun Rowley (GK); Callum Grogan, Dominic Smith (c), Callum Roberts, Trialist (James Caton, 20), Darren McKnight, Trialist (Ethan Jones, 45), Sam Patterson, Trialist, Scott Vernon, Kaiman Anderson. SHREWSBURY TOWN LINE-UPFULL-TIME: Aston Villa 3-1 Shrewsbury Town
In the end, Aston Villa picked up the win but it proved a good test for the Shrewsbury Town players involved.
McKnight then tries his luck from around 25 yards out with only ten minutes left but his shot sailed just past the left post.
Darren McKnight picked out Vernon with a crossfield pass to the right-hand side of the Villa penalty which Vernon caught sweetly on the volley but his effort flew just over the crossbar.
Town did have chances to pull a goal back before the end.
But the hosts soon added a third in the 59th minute as Sellars went on a mazy run down the inside right before pulling the ball back for Hepburn-Murphy in a central position who then fired into the bottom left corner from 12 yards out.
N'Zogbia then had the chance to get his name on the scoresheet but he headed over at the far post from Abdo's cross on the left.
Villa took the lead within just four minutes of the restart as half-time substitute Hepburn-Murphy robbed the ball off Dominic Smith and shot underneath Rowley from inside the box. HALF-TIME: Aston Villa 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
However, Villa got their equaliser as Sellars pulled the ball back from the right to Abdo inside the box and he rolled the ball into the far left corner beyond Rowley.
Rowley was then called into action again as Green cut inside from the left and shot from around 20 yards out, forcing the goalkeeper to tip the ball away at the right post.
And the hosts were then denied by a spectacular one-handed tip over from Rowley from Green's shot around 25 yards out.
Villa, being watched closely by the club's assistant manager Ray Wilkins, almost hit back four minutes later when Jerrell Sellars dragged a shot just wide of the left post from inside the box on the right.
Goalkeeper Rowley kicked long out of his hands downfield, Anderson got in behind the Villa defence and onto the ball, touched it around the oncoming 'keeper in the penalty area before tapping the ball into the empty net from just inside the box.
However, despite most of the early chances falling for the hosts, it was Shrewsbury who took the lead in route-one style in the 22nd minute.
The young stopper then had to get down to his near post again to deny N'Zogbia, a well-established Premier League player, at his near post.
At the other end, goalkeeper Shaun Rowley had to remain sharp to deny Villa's Andre Green down low at his near post.
Shrewsbury nearly took the lead in the opening minute as striker Scott Vernon headed wide from Kaiman Anderson's cross on the left.
FIRST HALF
And the Premier League side, featuring players such as Charles N'Zogbia and on-loan Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori, scored a further two in the second half through two goals from substitute Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.
Led by Head of Academy coaching Ian Dawes, Town took the lead in the game at Bodymoor Heath Training Ground through striker Kaiman Anderson but were pegged back by Khalid Abdo's equaliser before the break.
A mix of Shrewsbury Town's professional players and scholars were provided with a good test in a development friendly at Aston Villa on Tuesday.