Graham Turner has high hopes latest capture Mark Wright can deliver the exciting form the boss has been on the receiving end of in the past now he’s persuaded him to pull on a Shrewsbury Town shirt.
Turner knows just what Wright is capable of, recalling he found the net for MK Dons a couple of times against his Hereford side when he was in charge at Edgar Street.
The Town boss admits he’s been a long-time admirer of the 28-year-old so he’s delighted to have landed the Bristol Rovers man on a six-month loan deal.
Wright, on target twice for MK Dons in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Shrewsbury in 2008, went straight into the Town side for Monday’s first competitive pre-season match at Ilfracombe, impressing in a 45-minute run- out as Town beat the Devon minnows 5-1 in their opening match of the Joma South West Challenge Cup.
Now Wright could get another chance to settle in with his new team-mates when Town take on Rushden & Diamonds at Torrington tonight (Thursday, 7.45pm).
A Town win would earn them a semi-final tie in Devon on Saturday.
“I tried to sign Mark about five years ago when he left Walsall,” said Turner.
“He’s got pace and good crossing ability which he showed on Monday with the ball he put in for Matt Harrold’s goal. He’s also got that talent for getting into the right places and he can score a goal or two.”
Turner was unhappy at only being allowed to send on three subs under competition rules on Monday – he had been led to believe five would be permitted – but the players who didn’t see any action, among them new defender David Raven, are likely to get the chance to impress tonight.
Those hoping to catch the eye also include trialist goalkeeper Ben Smith, formerly of Doncaster, who’s set to line up between the posts as Turner seeks competition for Chris Neal.
“Ben will probably play against Rushden,” said Turner.
“He came with a good recommendation from Doncaster and he wouldn’t have been with us as long as he has if he wasn’t under serious consideration.”
Turner added he was continuing to negotiate with other clubs about bringing in further additions but was not expecting anything to happen until next week.
The manager, who takes charge of his first home game when Town host Championship side Coventry on Tuesday (7.45pm), declared himself pleased with what he saw from his players against Ilfracombe with new boys Harrold and Ian Sharps joined on the scoresheet by Steve Leslie, Benjamin van den Broek and Jake Robinson.
“You’ve got to take into consideration the opposition but these games can be very difficult if you allow them to be,” he said.
“We set off at a very good pace and dominated the game. We worked very hard and had some good passing movements.”
Meanwhile, utility man Kevin McIntyre insists he’s determined to do all he can to impress Turner and help bring success to a club he’s grown to love.
“I’m sure the Shrewsbury fans know what the manager’s all about so hopefully he’ll do the job for us and we’ll do the job for him,” said McIntyre.
“If you ask all the lads who were out of contract at the end of last season, they would all say the same. This is a great club to be at, it’s got everything you need, so to have been released, I would have been devastated if I’m honest.
“I’m just glad I got offered a contract and now I want to show what I can do in return.”
Town host a fashion show/fans’ night in the Sovereign Suite at the Greenhous Meadow on Monday (7 for 7.30pm start) as they reveal the club’s new 125-year anniversary home kit plus other sportswear from new suppliers Joma.
Indie covers band Hello Cleveland, fronted by season ticket holder Chris Allen, will then take to the stage for a set including their version of Catch Us If you Can.
“The night is to show off all of the excellent Joma kit and training gear as well as giving the fans a great night,” said Town’s commercial operations manager Ian Bebbington.
“Previous kit launches have tended to focus on just the kit but this time we want to make it a bit more of an event.”
Tickets are on sale from the ticket office for £2.
By Stuart Dunn