Two Salopian truths

We live in the age of the extreme. The political sphere is split between left and right, and the poisonous rhetoric from both sides spills over into every facet of life – even the world of sport, as the recent World Cup bore testimony.

Little old Shrewsbury Town is not exempt from this trend. Complain about the club’s malaise of recent years and you are labelled a “doom monger”. Dare to express any kind of positivity and there are plenty ready to point and call you a “happy clapper”.

Yet, as we prepare to enter the 2026/27 campaign, I find myself reflecting on a phrase oft repeated by one of my Salopcast co-hosts, Ollie Warner, who likes to say that two things can be true at the same time.

It is true, certainly, that Shrewsbury Town is a football club that has been on a downward trajectory over the past five years or so. I share the frustration of every supporter who wants to see new investment and new ideas come into the club and give us a fighting chance of competing in an age when money speaks like never before.

In the 2026/27 campaign, Shrewsbury will almost certainly be spending more money on its playing squad than at any point in its history. Owner Roland Wycherley is not holding funds back, he just doesn’t have the resources to spend either the transfer fees or the wages that so many of our rivals can.

Wycherley has stated publicly that he is “desperate” to sell the club, yet the evidence does not support those words. Many offers have come and gone over the years. Former vice chairman Paul Delves was very close to tasking control. A Norwegian group were also in advanced talks (a lucky escape, some would say, given their subsequent struggles after buying Burton instead). More recently we have seen one American buyer fall by the wayside and now another is apparently ready and willing to complete a sale. Yet still the weeks pass with no update and, seemingly, no progress.

Long-term, then, our future looks anything but rosy. Without this ownership issue being resolved, the trend over time will surely remain downwards.

But here’s the rub: money alone is not always the answer. It is possible for a club to box clever and give a bloody nose to much better-resourced rivals. Just ask Bromley in our division; widely-reported to have one of the very smallest budgets last season, yet storming to the title.

And in Gavin Cowan, we now have a manager who seems well equipped to take on this daunting challenge, and to do things his own way. He’s ripped up the playbook of the last few years, turning away from an over-reliance on seasoned veterans and instead looking to recruit a younger, more athletic and dynamic team. He is a man who refuses to accept excuses and sets high expectations and high ambitions for his young team.

In late July, Lower Tiers – an online platform sharing EFL news – posted data indicating Shrewsbury had the fifth youngest squad in League 2. It’s a seismic shift of approach from Cowan and we have to hope it can reap rewards, and as you look at the squad he has built, you see the shape of his masterplan coming to life.   

                             

In Kevin Berkoe and Arkell Jude-Boyd we now offer genuine pace from both flanks. For years, we have appeared to squeeze round pegs into square holes at wing-back; now we seemingly have two genuine articles. Jude-Boyd, especially, has shown in pre-season that he can complement his undeniable pace with a decent quality of cross into the box as well.

Up front, I hold out hope for the loan signing of Joe Gbodé – only 21 but built like and Olympic sprinter and blessed with raw pace of his own. He’s big, he’s strong, and he offers us something which we have certainly missed in recent times.

Attacking midfielder Isaac Fletcher also offers hope. He’s already proven he can score goals at this level, with seven in 31 games for Barrow last season. With that experience behind him, he could be ready to really kick on now he’s pulling on a Town shirt instead.

Cowan has also indicated that another striker will join the club – get that one right, too, and there has to be genuine cause for optimism that we can score more goals than we have managed in years of late.

In the middle of the park, both Will Gray and Isaac England look ready to make their mark on the senior game, and in Jay Turner-Cooke we’ve recruited another midfielder who seems to offer genuine promise. Then there’s Tom Sang: loved by his manager, if not yet the fans, and his pre-season form, too, has been promising.

At the back, we’ve retained both Josh Ruffels and Luca Hoole – two deals that could well prove as valuable as any of our new additions. With Will Boyle between them to skipper the side, we appear to have a defence that is more than equipped to do the job at this level.

In goal we’ve brought in Sam Proctor on loan from Aston Villa. The teenager has looked shaky in pre-season, but I don’t want to judge a young player too quickly. We must hope he settles to show the talent that has apparently made him a hot prospect at the Premier League club. Should he continue to struggle, we at least have Will Brook waiting in the wings. Brook is himself young, but took to senior football like a duck to water last season. He offers genuine competition for the starting spot.

So when it comes to our prospects for this coming season, I find myself daring to hold on to a little optimism. In this social media era, doom and gloom can take hold quickly, but today – before a ball has been kicked in anger – I choose to cling to that hope.

So yes, two things can be true at the same time – yes, Shrewsbury is a club crying out for change, but yes, I also see promise and potential in the young squad we have constructed for the season ahead.

In this age of extremes, I’m going to plant my Salop flag somewhere in the middle and try to enjoy the ride.