Teenage hotshot Tom Bradshaw is gunning for a place in Shrewsbury Town’s League Two plans after catching the eye in pre-season.
The exciting striker, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Tuesday, has wasted no time to try and convince boss Graham Turner he can play a leading role at the Greenhous Meadow, scoring twice during last week’s tour to Devon.
Turner, who hopes to sign up to four more players ahead of Saturday’s final friendly at home to Tranmere Rovers (3pm), has been impressed with Bradshaw’s impact and believes he could be a real asset this season.
Now the down-to-earth youngster, who burst onto the Town scene with a two-goal league debut as a sub at Crewe in April, has vowed to do all he can to force his way into Turner’s selection thoughts with the start of the league season now just over a week away.
“It’s been a good start for me personally in pre-season, I’ve got a few goals and hopefully I can carry that into the season,” said Shrewsbury-born Bradshaw, who grew up in the Welsh seaside town of Tywyn. “Last season for me personally was brilliant and it’s put me in good stead.
“It was great to get a few goals in Devon but no-one’s going to remember the goals in friendlies – but they will remember goals in the league. At the end of the day I’ve just turned 18 and it’s up to the gaffer. I’m going to do my best and push for a start and if it comes, that will be brilliant.”
Bradshaw, handed a two-year professional deal at the end of last season, said having so many of his former youth team colleagues around him had helped him quickly find his feet in the first team squad.
“We’ve got experience around as well which helps guide you through, the advice you get, but it’s great to have the younger lads around because I’ve played alongside them all before,” said Bradshaw, who also hopes to push for a call-up to one of the junior Welsh international age group squads.
“To have a two-year deal is brilliant for me personally. I’m going to push hard this year to become as good as I can be, but it’s nice having that second year to almost develop this season and to improve as a player. I’m happy at Shrewsbury and this is a brilliant club to be at.”
Bradshaw, who came on as a sub against Coventry on Tuesday, also has a supportive family behind him. “My family have been itching to get the season started for weeks,” he smiled.
“They all came down to Devon to watch the games, my mum and dad and a couple of my uncles. I cannot wait just to start playing more games at the Greenhous Meadow and I can’t wait to hear the fans roar again.”
Boss Turner, impressed with the diminutive striker, added: “Tom’s got that horrible knack of scoring goals! He scored two down in Devon and he could be a real asset to us this season.”
Turner is now busy trying to bolster his squad and, having already signed five players this summer, he’s hopeful of adding up to four more new faces in permanent deals before this weekend. He’s after a goalkeeper, an experienced central defender and an additional midfielder while Huddersfield winger Lionel Ainsworth, who played under Turner at Hereford, continues to be linked with a switch to Town.
“I would like to think that we’ll get another three players by the weekend – maybe even four – and that would give us a squad strong enough to be confident of being a contender for promotion this season,” said Turner. “There’s been a lot of work going on and some of them have dragged on for a long time in terms of recruitment, but I’m hoping and keeping my fingers crossed it will all come to fruition before the weekend. If it doesn’t, then we move on to somebody else.”
Town, meanwhile, stage their annual open day on Sunday (11am-3pm) with fans having the chance to meet the players and to watch a training session as well as enjoying a tour of the stadium among other attractions. The players will then move on to Condover to face the village cricket club in a Twenty20 match which starts at 4.30pm.
by Stuart Dunn
