Beckles looks ahead to Checkatrade test
Shrewsbury Town defender Omar Beckles believes that tonight’s game is a chance for some of Town’s fringe players to impress.
Beckles joined this summer from Accrington Stanley, but has made just one start in the league due to the fine form of Toto Nsiala and Mat Sadler.
“I’m used to playing every game, but I love the fact that there’s competition here because when I’ve been in sides and there hasn’t been that competition and I’ve had a bit of complacency”, Beckles told the Press.
“It’s been a surreal start. I don’t think anyone thinks that this is normal, but at the same time, from training with the lads, you can understand why we are in this scenario.
“But, you come up against big names and you think to yourself ‘Wow, we are still beating these big teams that have been up there season after season’, so it’s new territory for us, but we are all embracing it.”
Tonight will provide a chance for the likes of Omar and Arthur Gnahoua and Beckles is looking to stake his claim
“The boys have been doing really well”, admitted Omar.
“At the same time it’s a chance for me to stake my claim and hopefully my performance can do me justice and push the manager to think ‘I want him in the team’.
“This environment has been a very professional environment and I’ve had to adapt. I’ve had to be patient at the same time and I may still have to be patient again, but when that next opportunity comes I am looking to take it with both hands.”
West Brom are expected to include a handful of first team players in their squad tonight and Omar is excited about the challenge.
“I look forward to every single game”, Beckles said.
“Winning is contagious, not just for the starting lads, but the whole squad. You can see it in training that every wants to win and we are definitely going to take that into the game tomorrow.
“With a lot of these Checkatrade games you get a lot of kids come out and you don’t get a single experience pro, so if there are some experience pro’s out there then it will be a bit of a challenge for us and a bit of a scalp.”