Shrewsbury Town

Peters salutes Shrews character
Shrewsbury manager Gary Peters believes his side's "spirit and determination" will see them through the League Two play-off final against Bristol Rovers. Peters was impressed by the manner of his side's 2-1 aggregate win over MK Dons in the semi-finals. He said: "Our heads do not go down. We stood up to some intimidating football and won by passing the ball which was nice in light of recent criticism. "Now we have to win at Wembley and if we play like that we've every chance."

Edwards left out of Wembley squad
Shrewsbury Town midfielder David Edwards has been left out of the squad to face Bristol Rovers in Saturday's League Two play-off final at Wembley. The 21-year-old is expected to leave the club this summer after rejecting their new contract offer. "I need to choose people who will be playing for a future at this club in a higher league," said boss Gary Peters. "I have made a tough decision because in the run up to a game like this, focus is everything."

Bristol Rovers 3-1 Shrewsbury
Richard Walker scored twice as Bristol Rovers came back from a goal down to beat Shrewsbury in the League Two play-off final and earn promotion. The Shrews led when Stuart Drummond met Neil Ashton's free-kick to head home. But Walker replied with a neat finish from Ryan Green's low cross before putting Rovers ahead with a deft chip. Shrewsbury went close through Derek Asamoah but they had Marc Tierney sent off before Sammy Igoe broke away to seal Rovers' victory in injury time. Success at Wembley in front of a bumper crowd of 61,589 caps a remarkable season for Rovers, who played at the Millennium Stadium in April when they lost to Doncaster in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final. Walker and Igoe also notched in that game - which was the last time Paul Trollope's side tasted defeat - and the Pirates join neighbours Bristol City in celebrating promotion this term. But Rovers had to do it the hard way after falling behind after only three minutes. Ashton whipped in an enticing free-kick from the right and Drummond leapt highest to glance his header past Steve Phillips and into the bottom corner of the net. Rovers were clearly rattled by falling behind so early on and, with Asamoah looking lively on the right flank, Shrewsbury threatened to extend their lead. Ashton should have done better when Green poked Asamoah's cross into his path but he failed to connect with his shot. And soon after Rovers were level when Green made ground on the right flank before finding Walker, who fired past Chris MacKenzie with a cool first-time finish. Another Asamoah cross almost set up Andy Cooke to restore Shrewsbury's advantage but instead they found themselves behind on 35 minutes. Walker raced clear of the Shrews defence and took one touch to compose himself before lifting the ball over MacKenzie and into the net. It was a sumptuous finish by the former Aston Villa trainee and his 23rd goal of the season. Shrewsbury's response was to keep coming forward but Gary Peters' side were frustrated by some resolute Rovers defending. Steve Elliott made a tremendous last-ditch tackle to deny Drummond before Phillips made a brilliant reaction save to deny Asamoah. Rovers were under mounting pressure but Shrewsbury's hopes were all but ended when Tierney saw red after a late tackle on Stuart Campbell. The Shrews' last throw of the dice was to send keeper Mackenzie forward for an injury-time corner but they were punished when Igoe broke away and tapped the ball into an empty net. That put the seal on the Pirates' victory and made sure of only the fourth promotion in the club's history. Bristol Rovers manager Paul Trollope: "It has been a great day at the end of a long season and the players have been magnificent. "We showed good character and mental strength to get back from going a goal down early. "It's great to be going up a division, and with a new stadium around the corner it's exciting times for us." Shrewsbury boss Gary Peters: "We had good possession and good chances, but we didn't take our chances and that was the difference. "It's obviously very disappointing, but we'll be better because of it. Our lads are young and they'll come back. "The season just caught up with us. We had four extra games in the second half of the season." Bristol Rovers: Phillips, Ryan Green, Anthony, Elliott, Carruthers, Haldane (Rigg 64), Disley, Campbell, Igoe, Lambert, Walker. Subs Not Used: Mike Green, Lines, Sandell, Lescott. Booked: Campbell, Walker. Goals: Walker 21, 35, Igoe 90. Shrewsbury: MacKenzie, Herd (Burton 84), Hope, Langmead, Tierney, Asamoah, Hall, Drummond, Ashton, Cooke (Humphrey 73), Symes (Fortune-West 80). Subs Not Used: Esson, Leslie. Sent Off: Tierney (89). Booked: Cooke, Tierney. Goals: Drummond 3. Att: 61,589 Ref: M Jones (Cheshire).

Kempson keen to join young Shrews
Defender Darren Kempson has said he is looking forward to joining Shrewsbury's young team after signing from Crewe. The 22-year-old is set to link up with former Preston team-mate Kelvin Langmead at the heart of the defence. "A brand new stadium, the training facilities and the young team means it's the best place for me," Kempson told the club's website. "Me and Kelvin learned our trade together at Preston and it's funny we've both ended up together."

Shrewsbury sign striker Hibbert
Shrewsbury Town have signed striker David Hibbert from Preston North End for a nominal fee. Hibbert, 21, joined Preston from Port Vale for £150,000 and last season had loan spells at Rotherham and Bradford. "He's got all the qualities and capabilities of being a good striker and a good blend for someone like Michael Symes," said boss Gary Peters. "I tried to get him on loan last season before he went to Rotherham and again later in the season."

Duo agree to stay at Shrewsbury
Striker Andy Cooke and utility player Neil Ashton have signed new contracts with Shrewsbury Town. "Cookey has decided to stay at the club and that is great news for everybody," boss Gary Peters told the club website. "With Ashy you've got a three-in-one player. He plays left-back, he can play left-midfield and he can play centre-midfield." Steve Leslie and Ben Herd are expected to commit their futures to Shrewsbury within the next few days.

Senior Cup victory pleases Peters
Manager Gary Peters was pleased with Shrewsbury Town's performance in Tuesday's Shropshire Senior Cup final victory over Market Drayton Town. Goals from Marc Pugh, Chris Humphrey, Derek Asamoah, Kelvin Langmead and Chris Flynn gave his side a 5-1 win. "It was a good work out and some super goals, especially Derek Asamoah's and Chris Humphreys'," Peters said. "We knew Market Drayton were a decent side. They played well but in the end our bit of quality shone through."

Peters impressed by squad players
Shrewsbury Town boss Gary Peters was delighted with the performance of some of his fringe players in Tuesday's League Cup win over Colchester. Darren Kempson's extra-time strike saw the Shrews through to the second-round. "We had about seven changes and it was important the other lads got their chance and we played them and they showed what they could do," he said. "We made Colchester look ordinary. In the second-half we controlled it and attacked them and felt comfortable."

Peters proud of defeated Shrews
Manager Gary Peters was proud of his young Shrewsbury side's display in Tuesday's League Cup defeat by Fulham. The second-round tie at the New Meadow was settled just before the hour-mark by a goal from striker Diomansy Kamara. "Those youngsters went out there to prove themselves and they may be in my first team this season so you have to give them a chance," Peters said. "My midfield was 18 years, 19 years, 18 years and David Hunt who is only 24 years old and they all did a good job."

Shrews let striker Onibuje leave
Shrewsbury Town boss Gary Peters has decided not to offer a full contract to non-contract striker Fola Onibuje. The 22-year-old Nigerian has been with the Shrews since the summer, and made two appearances in the Carling Cup. "It will take a while for Fola to get that fitness where he is at our level," Peters told Shrewsbury's website. "He wouldn't be able to play much in our first team and the best we could expect is for him to be playing in our reserve side."

Shrews performance pleases Peters
Manager Gary Peters was pleased with Shrewsbury Town's display in Tuesday's defeat by League One outfit Yeovil. Lloyd Owusu's goal eight minutes after the break was enough to give the Glovers a place in the second round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. "We got the right performance as the lads worked themselves into the ground right until the end," Peters said. "We have come to a club a division above us and have given a good account of ourselves."

Jones close to Shrewsbury return
Shrewsbury Town youngster Luke Jones has returned to full training after missing four months with a knee injury. The 20-year-old defender suffered the injury just before kick-off in May's League Two play-off final at Wembley. "I am playing catch-up because I have missed pre-season but lots of players have come back and made a really big impact," he told the Shropshire Star. "That's my aim but the first target is to get a few reserve games under my belt and build up my match fitness."

Peters not happy with performance
Shrewsbury Town boss Gary Peters was not pleased with his side's display in Saturday's win over Accrington Stanley. Goals from Shrewsbury strikers Stuart Nicholson and Dave Hibbert gave them a comfortable 2-0 victory. "I'm not going to be satisfied as we could have done a lot better and it could easily have been 4-0," he said. "It's yet another game where we've won but I'm not happy with the performance. That's fine if we keep winning but we need to improve."

Shrews reshuffle management team
The departure of Shrewsbury kit manager Pete Downard has led to a backroom reshuffle by boss Gary Peters. John McMahon is the new assistant manager, fitness coach Stuart Delaney takes over as first-team coach and Ryan King replaces Downard as kit man. "We've brought in Ryan as a fitness coach/kit man and this has re-jigged my staff," he told Shrewsbury's website. "The workload is nicely shared between the three of us and it means there's a different voice on the training field."

MacKenzie makes move to Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers have signed Shrewsbury goalkeeper Chris MacKenzie to try to ease their injury problems. The 35-year-old moves to Aggborough on a month's loan following injuries to both Scott Bevan and Dean Coleman. Bevan has a leg muscle strain and is struggling to be fit to face Torquay, while Coleman has a hairline fracture to a finger. The former Chester, Leyton Orient and Hereford Utd stopper has made just one appearance for the Shrews this season.

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