Plans are in place for big goalkeeper David Button to become the latest Shrewsbury Town loan ranger to extend his stay at the Prostar Stadium for the rest of the season.
Paul Simpson was delighted to land Huddersfield left back Joe Skarz on loan in time for the 20-year-old to deliver an impressive debut in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Dagenham, with the added attraction that there’s no recall option to whisk the player back to Yorkshire.
Now Simpson has revealed steps have also been taken to ensure that England under-20 keeper Button, a big hit since checking in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in November, will also remain at Shrewsbury for the duration of the club’s League Two promotion push.
“David’s with us until the end of February and is on a youth loan until his 21st birthday,” said Simpson.
“After that point, if everything’s still in agreement as it is at the moment with Tottenham, who are happy with what we are doing with him, hopefully we’ll be able to do an emergency loan through to the end of the season.
“He’s happy here and I’m happy with him.
“We’ve had too many goalkeepers this season. We’ve had four and that’s not ideal. Any successful team usually has a settled keeper and back four and that’s what we’ve got to try and do.”
That’s why Simpson was so happy to bring in Skarz, a player he has rated highly since first spotting him in youth football.
“To be honest, I didn’t think he was available,” he admitted. “He’s a player I’ve known for quite some time and I first saw him play for Huddersfield’s youth side at 16, 17.
“I thought he was a regular in their first team so I never for one minute thought he was available, but I chanced my arm and was surprised and delighted to get him, especially as it’s until the end of the season.
“I wanted that stability so I didn’t have to be looking again in a month’s time.”
Simpson is now hopeful of pepping up his strike options, ideally ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Accrington Stanley, with Town suddenly light in that department following Omer Riza’s departure and the decision to allow Nathan Elder to join AFC Wimbledon on loan.
“We are short of strikers which makes it even more pleasing that Jake Robinson has shown the attitude he has over the last couple of weeks,” he said. “He’s responded in the way I hoped and now he needs to keep pushing on and try to add to those goals he got early in the season.
“People have got to realise we’re doing everything we can to get people in.
“There are two strikers I’ve been waiting patiently on for weeks now. One of them would be a permanent deal and one a loan to the end of the season. The problem we’ve got is there’s a lot of talk of them going and playing at much higher levels.”
Simpson hopes Dean Holden and Craig Disley, who both went off injured in the first half last weekend, will return to training today (Thursday) with a view to being available against an Accrington side expected to include four ex-Town men in their squad in Michael Symes, Jimmy Ryan, Darran Kempson and Ian Dunbavin.
By Stuart Dunn