Director of football Micky Moore has penned an open letter to supporters to update them on all football-matters at Shrewsbury Town.
Everyone at Shrewsbury Town is committed to improving communication with our supporters.
And that’s why I think it's important I write to you every 10 weeks or so to inform fans what we’re doing to improve all football-related matters at the club.
Our chief executive Liam Dooley is excellent at updating you on all our off-pitch activities and how we are working to make Shrewsbury Town financially sustainable.
But at the Supporters’ Parliament meeting back in January, it was suggested that both Liam and I regularly write open letters.
I thought at the time that was a good idea. And I’m now pleased to be writing my first update since that meeting at the turn of the year.
Things are always busy and hectic in football – but it is fair to say a lot has happened over the past few months.
Shortly after the Supporters’ Parliament, we had to make the tough decision to change our head coach.
And I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Matt Taylor and Marcus Bignot for all the hard work they put in during their time with the club.
It was a difficult decision to let them go - they are both really good people.
And they were unfortunate – we had a lot of injuries in the first half of the season.
Ultimately, though, we want to move forward as a football club, so we felt the right thing to do was make a change.
We brought Paul Hurst and Chris Doig back and it’s been great to see the welcome they have been given by supporters.
They know the club, they know the town and they know our fans, so it’s been easy for them to settle back in.
And they have started well with the return of 14 points from the 11 games they’ve managed so far.
I think, in that short space of time, it has been proven that we do have good players in the squad and now the aim is to finish the season on a high.
In terms of our January recruitment - following discussions with Paul – we decided to bring in a midfielder which led us to Jack Hinchy.
Then after the window closed, we strengthened again with the additions of Rayhaan Tulloch and Jack Price.
We were really happy to finally get Jack Price over the line. There was actually a deal put in place for him back in November. It’s been sitting there ready once he got back fit.
And I’d like to say a big thank you to Chris Skitt and the medical team for helping Jack get back on the grass and realise a childhood ambition of playing for Shrewsbury.
I have to say, Jack has done everything he can to return to full fitness following what was a nasty Achilles injury.
He was desperate to put on a Shrewsbury shirt and I’d also like to say thank you to the chairman for providing the funds to get Jack’s deal over the line.
While the contract he signed was short-term, we will now assess him over the coming weeks and during the close season to see how he feels having been out for the past 12 months.
I’d also like to say a big thank you to Aaron Pierre and express how sorry I was to see him get injured.
After returning to the club in November, Aaron went on to do really well for us and he will be a big miss for the rest of the campaign.
January also saw us send Max Mata out on loan – with the striker returning to Sligo to get some valuable game time.
Max has already scored four goals and registered two assists since heading back to Ireland.
And we hope he will continue in that vein, regain some confidence and come back to us in the summer with a real spring in his step.
We signed Max following what had been a really good first spell at Sligo.
His record was a one-in-three centre-forward. He is also a full international with New Zealand.
When you bring in a player from a different country, you find that some settle straight away while others need a bit longer to get used to their new surroundings.
There is no doubt Max is a talented player and hopefully, his loan move will give him the boost he needs.
In terms of the academy, there has been lots going on and a lot of work being done behind the scenes.
I’m really looking forward to all the academy players and staff moving back to the Croud Meadow.
I’d like to thank Shrewsbury Sports Village for the way they have looked after them in recent years.
But we feel moving them back on-site and into the stadium is the best thing for the club and for the players themselves.
It will get them a step closer to fulfilling their dreams of representing the first team. And it will provide a cost-saving for the club.
Being in and around the stadium every day is only going to help them visualize walking out and representing you, our supporters. Hopefully, being here every day will drive them on.
In terms of next season, a lot of work is being done between Paul, Chris, Tom Ware and myself to identify players.
There are also ongoing conversations about existing players who are out of contract.
For all of us, though, the most important thing is finishing the season on a high.
I appreciate, at times, it has been a difficult season for all our supporters.
With a new structure, new players and staff changes this was always going to be a transitional year.
It was also vital that we stuck to the playing budget due to a significant overspend last season.
That overspend has also impacted upon this season as we continue to fulfil existing player contracts.
But I would like to say a big thank you to all of you for the way you have stuck with the players.
That support – and your continued support – is really appreciated and has made a big difference.
I know Paul and Chris are both also incredibly grateful for the warm wishes and positive messages they have had since returning to the club.
Fingers crossed we can now enjoy a strong end to the season and produce seven performances that will make you feel proud to be a Shrewsbury fan.
I look forward to updating you again soon.
Micky.
