Ten Years Ago...

Ian Dunbavin watches on (picture from Luton Town)

Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Luton Town

20/04/02 Gay Meadow, attendance 7,858

Shrewsbury Town: Dunbavin, Thompson, Rioch (Moss 62), Tolley, Redmile, Heathcote, Lowe, Atkins (Murray 73), Rodgers, Guinan (Aiston 52), Woan. Subs not used: Wilding, Cartwright.

Luton Town: Emberson, Neilson, Perrett, Coyne, Taylor, Forbes (Boyce 87), Hughes, Spring, Valois (Johnson HT), Howard, Crowe (Kabba 66) Subs not used: Hillier, Ovendale.

Ten years ago, before relegation, Everton, the Conference, New Meadow, Joe Hart, play-off finals, Paul Simpson and the ultimate return of the messiah, Town went into the last game of the season looking very healthily level on points with Rushden & Diamonds in the final play-off spot.

Going into the final match

With a win needed to guarantee a ticket in the play-off lottery, and both Hartlepool and Scunthorpe breathing down Town’s neck, the opponents that bright day in 2002 were the already-promoted Luton Town, a team left with nothing to play for following Plymouth’s 4-1 title-winning romp against Darlington the previous Monday.

Of course, Town lost that day, and with both teams behind winning, ended up finishing 9^th. But with much changing in the subsequent decade, it’s worth taking a trip down memory lane and seeing just how much things have changed...

Players

In 2002, it was considered the norm for Division Three clubs to sign creaking old Premier League rejects on relatively massive salaries, their commitment as questionable as their waistband and their lives lived on past glories. Sporadically capable of the odd dead-ball reminiscent of the good old days, but mainly a lumbering burden with their head stuck in 1993, Kevin Ratcliffe was a particular fan and whilst he seemed to get the blend somewhat correct this season, it would prove his undoing the following year. I’m looking at you, Ian Woan.

This practice has thankfully been stamped out at Town in recent years and especially by Graham Turner. These days, Town have had significant purchasing power thanks to a combination of Joe Hart money and being generally very well ran in recent years – I’ll generously gloss over rising ticket prices and an increasing sense of detachment from the average fan – and genuinely exciting young players have been a regular feature.

Several ex-Town players have made it to the Premier League recently, and nearly as impressive as the youth team products of Hart and Dave Edwards have been players such as Marc Tierney and Grant Holt, who have shown that the difference between the very top and the basement division has significantly contracted. Players in League Two are fitter, faster, and more skilful than they were ten years ago as even the lower league game becomes big business.

Of course, all squads at this level will always have the journeymen and for Steve Guinan and Andy Thompson ten years ago read Ian Sharps and Marvin Morgan today. The rules mentioned above still apply though (or is it Town simply improving?) as Sharps and Morgan have both had their moments in coming across as very good footballers who could easily play at a higher level. Morgan’s clothing company provides threads to JLS: a 2002 equivalent of this might be Greg Rioch supplying One True Voice, which seems a bit less likely. 

Rioch and Morgan: times change (pictures from Shrewsbury Town and Shropshire Star)

Another constant in League Two will always be a gamble on cost-effective youngsters, but whilst several of the 2002 XI came through Town’s system, the majority today are brought in from elsewhere as standards rise. Graham Turner’s team simply would not carry substandard young players for sentiment’s sake (as has finally been proven with Steve Leslie), instead preferring to bring in highly-rated kids on loan from larger clubs. As standards have rise along with Town’s budget, the reliance on home-grown talent has – for good or for bad – resided. This said, potential top players such as Jon Taylor and Tom Bradshaw will always find a way into the side: but Karl Murray they are not.

Manager

We all know what happened to Ratcliffe’s Shrewsbury the following season, with the high of Everton tempered by a shameful relegation. He jumped before he was pushed ahead of the last game against Scunthorpe, of which Mark Atkins took charge despite some brilliant rumours regarding Frank Skinner.

Jimmy Quinn, Gary Peters, and Paul Simpson all had their good times and bad, the latter two scraping Town into the League Two play-offs with two equally dramatic semi finals followed by two equally lifeless final defeats. Quinn remains the only manager since 1994 to win promotion with Town, setting the precursor with two shootout victories in the 2004 Conference play-offs after finishing about 634 points below losing semi-finalists Hereford.

The return of Graham Turner has brought a change in attitude and a genuine buzz around the club, and for the first time in my 13 years of watching Town I am genuinely convinced by promotion this season. Watching Town play good, winning football and with swelling attendances, the next decade looks far more promising than this or many of the ones before it.

The club

People say what they like about New Meadow – and I certainly have done regarding its soulless, sterile atmosphere and boring identikit design – but nobody can even begin to pretend that we would ever advance with Gay Meadow.

One of the most charming and romantic grounds in the Football League, two words which actually, of course, mean ‘decrepit’ and ‘ramshackle’, only the most plastic, heartless, clipart fan wouldn’t miss it dearly. We’ve all got our sepia-tinged Meadow memories, but the truth has gradually been absorbed: for Town to ever challenge the upper reaches of the Football League, the Greenhous Meadow is a necessity.

The Riverside - a glorious relic

Elsewhere: Roland is still Roland, Lenny is still Lenny, and you still see the same faces in the ticket offices and club shop, which is no longer a portakabin. The cheapest adult Early Bird season ticket for 2012/13 sets you back £270 compared to £208 ten years ago, a 30% rise, with juniors rising from £120 to £150.

Another change has been the hugely popular switch to the new badge, which manages to promote strong brand diversity and corporate awareness whilst remaining in touch with the fanbase and the roots of the club. Or something like that.

A note on the opposition

It’s fair to say Luton have had their own share of drama in the subsequent decade since promotion that season. Promoted as Champions to the Championship in 2005, this was quickly followed by three successive relegations which included 40 points deducted in the latter two seasons for various financial problems. One merciful bright spot was the 2008/09 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, won on the backdrop of a gallant attempt to claw back their 30 point deduction that season.

Things have quietened in past couple of years for the Nick Owen-owned club (well, except for this, obviously) as they have struggled to break out of the Conference – and at the time of writing they once again look unlikely to win a place in the play-offs. Luton look like slipping into a rut that Town may only have avoided thanks to Scott Howie’s heroics.

What if...?

So... what if the score was reversed in this game and Town took a 2-0 victory into the play-offs? Cheltenham would have been the opponents, finishing five points ahead but having already lost 2-1 at Gay Meadow that season. Rushden & Diamonds would have waited at the Millennium Stadium having only finished ahead of Town on goal difference.

If they had been beaten, how would Town have coped in Division Two? Would funds have been made available to make Town a constant at that level? Would we still have the new ground, and would it be the same? How would Luke Rodgers and Sam Aiston handle the step up? Would Town have done a Luton and ended up in the Championship? Or would we have just come straight back down and delayed relegation to the Conference by one more season – an inevitability of the club’s state at that time?

More on Shrewsbury Town:

Joe Hart and 21 Others Part One, Two, and Three

From the Banks of the River Severn 

Viva Brother - Famous First Words

I wasn’t going to bother writing about Famous First Words, the debut from the world’s finest (and only) ‘gritpop’ outfit Viva Brother, but after reading some of the rather spiteful reviews thought I’d offer my own two pennies.

And if you’re reading this and in the band, there’s good and bad news: the Independent, Guardian, Pitchfork, musicOMH, and NME may think your album’s rubbish – but I think it’s alright. Pretty good, in fact. And surely the approval of A Knight’s Tale is worth more than that of some of the largest news organisations in the world?

There seem to be a few recurring criticisms levelled at the release:

1. Viva Brother are musically and lyrically simple, and artistically bereft

I don’t really know what people were expecting here – Kid A Part II? If you listen to Famous First Words expecting atmospheric soundscapes, Byronic poetry and an all-encompassing theme on the meaning of life, you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you listen to Famous First Words expecting catchy, addictive pop songs that you’ll be humming all week, you’ll be going home very pleased.

They are not The Horrors. They are not The XX. They are never going to be nominated for the Mercury Prize. But unlike both of those great bands, they write songs which you will sing along to at three in the morning, arm round your mates, beer in hand, generally being massive, cringe worthy ‘lads’. It’s simple, but good fun. Take it for what it is.

2. Viva Brother changed their name from Brother

One of the more absurd reasons for mockery seems to be the band name, and the court case that led it to being changed. This is mentioned in nearly every review. Who cares? 

 

3. Viva Brother are shamelessly ripping off Britpop

If you hired a crack team of the world’s best lawyers, with a bribed and hypnotised jury and the singer’s mum as judge, this claim still couldn’t be denied. Every song borrows heavily from Oasis, Blur, The Stone Roses, Suede, Supergrass and many others – but the way some reviewers go on about it, you’d think Viva Brother are the first ever band to imitate influences.

Referring again to point 1 – if you listen to this record expecting genre-breaking originality and a musical revolution, you are going to be disappointed. But criticising it for mimicking a genre which in the first place shamelessly ripped off The Beatles, T. Rex, The Rolling Stones and The Smiths seems a bit harsh.

Apparently, it’s okay to sound like the 1970s or 1980s – because it’s fashionable, you see – but not the 1990s.

4. Members of Viva Brother used to be in 'emo' bands

Again – who cares?

5. Members of Viva Brother annoyingly try too hard

“It’s time for a proper band with some bollocks”, “we’ve written some of the best songs of the past 20 years” – yes, they probably are getting a bit carried away without realising how silly they sound. Yes, ‘gritpop’ is an absolutely ridiculous, embarrassing term which – quite understandably really – still gets used against them.

However, the key here, following on from all the other points above, is to listen to the music without letting the daft interviews, band name, overhyping and silly sunglasses cloud your judgement. And if you can do that, you actually find a decent album...

Singles Darling Buds of May, Still Here, New Year’s Day and the forthcoming Time Machine are amongst the best guitar-pop songs released this year – well-structured, addictively hooky, memorable and whilst not exactly lyrically deep, the words complement the music and fit in very well.

Electric Daydream and High Street Low Lives could have come straight off The Great Escape or Modern Life Is Rubbish, and this is meant as a great compliment. Unoriginal, yes, but up there with the best of what they are copying.

There are few genuinely weak points on this ten-track album – David falls short of the songs either side of it, and Otherside, Fly By Nights and False Alarm are individually decent-if-not-great tracks, but listened together do sound too similar. This is probably my main criticism of the album – I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with sticking to the same genre, but branching out within that genre could have helped Brother here. Each song fulfils its quota of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, and choruses could easily be interchanged between songs without anyone noticing.

Still – once you get over the prejudices, some of which the band created, some of which they didn’t, this album consists of ten tracks of catchy, fun pop. It’s nothing special – did anyone really expect it to be? – but it’s nowhere near as bad as some have made out. It is what it is... 7.5/10

Other music articles:

The Horrors - Skying

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See
The Five Worst Oasis Songs
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death of You and Me

 

World Cup Qualifying Preview

I should say from the outset - if you don’t like football geekery, you're probably going to find the next 600 words very boring. Have a look at some of my pictures instead...

On Saturday, despite most Brazilian stadia currently consisting of muddy fields and tutting trade union officials, the draw will be made for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. The pots, decided via the watertight, inarguable science of the FIFA World Rankings, are listed below:

A: Spain, Netherlands, Germany, England, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Norway, Greece

B: France, Montenegro, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, Slovakia

C: Switzerland, Israel, Ireland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Ukraine, Hungary

D: Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Lithuania, Albania, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Poland

E: Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Moldova, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands

F: Wales, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, San Marino

From these, 13 nations will advance to the finals. The exact way it’s decided is quite boring, so if you really care that much, I’ve explained at the bottom of the article, but essentially it’s the nine group winners plus four runners up which are decided from play-offs.

There are a couple of surprises in the pots – France, in pot B, have slipped below Norway and Greece, partly because of a disastrous 2010 World Cup which was even worse than England’s, but now Mystic Meg wannabe Raymond Domenech has left, they will undoubtedly be a strong force again. Alongside them, Montenegro, in the second-to-bottom group for the Euro qualifiers simply because they were at the time a new state, have found their rightful place.

If Raymond Domenech is French football’s enemy, then Jakup Emil Hansen should be Wales’, with the Faroese student spotting (somehow) the tiniest mistake in FIFA’s calculations which pushed his homeland above the Welsh in the rankings, and crucially into the higher pot.

It seems ridiculous that a team containing Aaron Ramsey, Craig Bellamy and Gareth Bale ranks alongside Europe’s bottomfeeders, but that’s how it’s ended up and Gary Speed faces an even harder task than usual this time round. Whilst we are in pot F, Borat should be having a long hard look at himself too – the Kazakh population of 16 million shamefully being around 500 times that of higher-ranked Liechtenstein.

Anyway, there are 52,488 possible groups for England to be drawn into, and here are some possibilities. It would of course be easy to just pick the first and last teams from each pot, but this wouldn’t take into account the failings of FIFA’s rankings – teams such as Ukraine and Poland being artificially low due to a lack of competitive action – or similarly the failings of England, who can struggle against other home nations or a certain breed of former Soviet republic.

Best for England: England, Slovakia, Hungary, Albania, Azerbaijan, San Marino.

Worst for England: England, France, Czech Republic, Romania, Macedonia, Wales

Most Exciting: England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Cyprus, Wales

Most Boring: England, Montenegro, Belarus, Lithuania, Finland, Iceland

Best for Wales: Norway, Montenegro, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands, Wales

Worst for Wales: Spain, France, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Finland, Wales

*If you must know: there will be eight groups of six teams, with one each from pots A to F, and one group of five teams, one each from pots A to E. Russia and Georgia cannot be drawn together, and neither can Armenia and Azerbaijan due to political tensions. The nine group winners will advance straight to the finals with the eight best runners up (not including games against the bottom team in the group), going into four two-legged play-off ties, the winners from which will also be going to Brazil, giving a grand total of 13 European teams at the finals. Was that really worth it?

More articles for football fans with too much free time:
Joe Hart and 21 Others
From the Banks of the River Severn 

Look at Me, I Bought a Digital Camera

The other week, I bought a digital camera. This, coupled with an unprecedented amount of procrastination opportunity whilst I job hunted (I start in September, thank you), inspired me to have a go at photography.

Turns out it's actually quite difficult. I know literally nothing about editing techniques, and seem to have a rather unusual lack of talent when it comes to actually taking a photo. And this is all digital - anyone can get used to moving sliders around a screen with enough practice. God only knows how people manage with film, having to decide which of their 34 lenses to use, before spending countless hours playing with black magic in little dark rooms.

Anyway, eventually, I accidentally came up with a few I’m quite happy with:

Shotton Pool

Toronto in Blue

Toronto in Grey

Blue Jays Lego - my attempt to emulate this

Purdiest Church in Ontario

Little Green Ben

Yorton

 My Flickr, which contains these and other similarly poor attempts, is here.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death of You and Me

It is, of course, impossible to listen to either Gallagher brother’s solo offering without comparing it to Oasis, so to get that out of the way – The Death of You and Me is up there with anything Oasis released after Be Here Now. Taking a very similar sound to arguably Noel’s finest song in the past decade, The Importance of Being Idle, this is music to wear a suit to, preferably whilst drinking martini and smoking a cigar in a hazy 1950s club. In black and white, obviously.

The next unavoidable comparison is of course to Liam Gallagher and Beady Eye, who, rather predictably I’m afraid, fall far short here. Their debut, Different Gear, Still Speeding, had nothing wrong with it – Four Letter Word and The Roller in particular would have sat nicely on almost any Oasis album – but there was always a sense that something, or rather someone, was missing. Any worries that the reverse would apply are dismissed entirely by the first chorus here. I doubt anybody who has ever heard both Champagne Supernova and Ain’t Got Nothin’ expected Liam’s solo work to be stronger than Noel’s, and this has been confirmed with The Death of You and Me’s three-and-a-half minutes of pop genius.

Containing all the elements that made Noel Gallagher’s songwriting so addictive in the first place, but free of the shackles that Oasis’ reputation and tension created, it sounds familiar yet fresh. A brass solo section sits brilliantly alongside a big chorus, the relatively simple music and lyrics as always complementing perfectly, not needing to be anything that they’re not.

Noel’s collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous, released next year, could provide something we never thought we’d see – Noel Gallagher the experimentalist – but in the meantime, if the High Flying Birds’ release in October lives up to this first single, it’s going to be one of the albums of the year. A solid 9/10.

More articles on Noel Gallagher:
The Five Worst Oasis Songs 

From the Banks of the River Severn

...to the shores of Scandinavia, Australasia, Africa, and many others, but sadly not Sicily – yet. Gone are the days when players from Ireland were considered exotic, and with easyjet and the European Union making the football world ever smaller, even a quaint little lower league side like Shrewsbury Town can build up a decent XI of overseas alumni, nine of whom own representative honours of some description.

To keep things fair, I’ve only included players who were either born abroad – obviously – or who are English-born but have represented their adopted country at some level - meaning Andreas Arestidou misses out, but Ömer Rıza, the proud holder of a Turkey B cap, makes the cut.

GK: Benny Gall

I have to confess it’s a poor start for me, since Benny Gall was slightly before my first ever Town game, but word of mouth and the internet have both informed me of the Danish ‘keeper’s existence. Making 34 appearances between 1996 and 1998, Gall may not have set the world alight but probably had a more exciting career than Scott Cooksey and Mark Cartwright – winning a Danish U21 cap in 1990, he left Town to join Esbjerg fB in his homeland’s Superliga.

Esbjerg were relegated in 2000 but a year later Gall joined Danish giants FC Copenhagen, where, as a reserve ‘keeper, he won four titles and was part of several Champions League squads. Making just eight league appearances in six years, this Scandinavian Stuart Taylor now manages in the third tier.

RB: Jason van Blerk

Overpaid, past his best and unfit – a classic Kevin Ratcliffe signing. Before lumbering around Gay Meadow in the glorious relegation season, van Blerk actually made 33 appearances for Australia in the 1990s whilst featuring for West Brom, Millwall, and the Netherlands’ Go Ahead Eagles. 

Collector's item - Sagi Burton's signed St Kitts and Nevis shirt

CB: Sagi Burton

Sagi, or Osagyefo Lenin Ernesto to his mum, was born in Birmingham but made three appearances for Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2004 whilst playing for Peterborough. Alongside his ‘Boro teammates Calum Willock and Adam Newton, aggressive defender Burton played in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Northern Ireland, before featuring in both legs of a tie against Barbados in the second round of CONCACAF qualification for the 2006 World Cup. 

Saint Kitts won 5-2 on aggregate with Newton and Willock both scoring, before losing all six games in the group stage with a goal difference of minus 22. The trio were called up again for the Caribbean Cup qualifiers in 2006, but this time decided that Peterborough was more attractive than Barbados and stayed at home.

CB: Shane Cansdell-Sherriff

Versatile SCS has played a solid three seasons for Town so far and shows no sign of stopping. Shane also played for Australia’s under 23s at the Athens Olympics in 2004, featuring against an Argentina side including Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in the group stage, before losing a quarter final against Iraq. In March this year his strong, consistent performances for Town led to a call up to the full squad for the first time.

LB: James Meredith

I admit this one is a bit forced, and mainly because Thomas Nielson was before my time, but Meredith was indeed born in Australia and did indeed play for Shrewsbury Town. Three times. Very poorly. He found his level during a loan spell at Telford, and now plays regularly for York City. According to his Wikipedia, he once dated a Page Three girl. Well done James.

Derek Asamoah (left) signs for the Pohang Steelers

RM: Derek Asamoah

Another with an interesting career, Ghanaian winger Asamoah worked the backwaters of England’s lower leagues before joining Town in 2006. A successful season climaxing in a Wembley play-off defeat was followed by a hugely acrimonious transfer to the French top tier side Nice, as Gary Peters referred to the striking striker as “a selfish player and a selfish person” – both parties handling the situation with an admirable lack of playground dignity.

Peters’ voodoo doll must have taken a serious pounding however as Asamoah spent two luckless and gameless years in France before making three appearances for the mighty Hamilton Academical. As one of Derek’s privileged 3000 Facebook friends, I have witnessed the pictures of successful subsequent moves to Lokomotiv Sofia and now to South Korea’s Pohang Steelers, where he plays in front of 17,000 obsessive Koreans in the K-League. Asamoah has made four appearances for Ghana since 2006.

Terry Dunfield celebrates his first international goal

CM: Terry Dunfield

Another to leave under a bit of a cloud, many Town fans cursed Thierry Dunfield for wanting to return to his home city to earn more money, play in a higher quality league and perhaps play for his country. What a bastard.

Canadian Thierry began his Town career with some truly diabolical performances after joining in January 2009, before becoming one of the team’s key players the following season, a metronomic midfielder who glued the side together. A first international cap followed, with Canada manager Stephen Hart famously and publicly telling him he needs to play at a higher level, which Thierry duly sought in 2010.

A move to Vancouver Whitecaps seemed like a winner all round then, and as the team struggle through their debut MLS season Thierry has been the star in a poor team. Five more international caps have followed as promised, including a goal against Ecuador, and a recent move to Toronto FC will put him at a stronger level.

CM: Gylfi Sigurðsson

He may well have only played five games on loan from Reading in 2008, but other than Joe Hart, Sigurðsson has reached greater heights than any other recent Town player. Despite his slight build at the time, he was a convincing playmaker whose quality over most of his teammates was painfully obvious.

After a handful of games for Town, Gylfi had another loan spell at Crewe before breaking into Reading’s first team in 2009. Twenty-one goals from midfield, including an injury-time equalising penalty at Anfield, won him Reading’s Player of the Season and much interest from Premier League clubs, but it was Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga who won his signature in 2010 in exchange for £6 million.

In his first season for the cash-rich Germans, ten goals and another Player of the Season award followed for the still-young midfielder, who has now earned five international caps for Iceland on his way to becoming one of their most important players. Away days at Bayern Munich must seem a far cry from a Tuesday night at Accrington Stanley.

LM: Benjamin van den Broek

It would be reasonable to say that Benji, a likable chap who was clearly a talented footballer, was never really given a fair crack of the whip at Town. A strangely inspired signing by Paul Simpson, rescued from the ashes of his previous club HFC Haarlem’s bankruptcy, the Dutch forward never got the run in the team that his talents deserved. Injuries and a lack of a real position didn’t help his case, and nor did the arrival of Graham Turner who just didn’t seem to fancy him.

After just eleven appearances in more than a year, Benji has since joined FC Den Bosch in the Eerste Divisie, the Dutch second tier, where Ruud van Nistelrooy began his career. I have a strange feeling that like so many discarded Town players, the decision to release van den Broek will come back to haunt us. 

CF: Kris Bright

Another interesting Paul Simpson signing, hopes were high for New Zealander Kris Bright as we watched the above video of his (solitary, against Thailand) international goal. Completely underwhelming, but difficult to judge definitively since he never seemed to come on before 85 minutes, Bright generally flattered to deceive but did have occasional moments of quality before joining Budapest Honvéd – once the home of Ferenc Puskás.

Unfortunately for New Zealand, that’s where the similarities to the legendary Hungarian end, with no caps being added since Bright’s fourth – which in fairness did come against Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup. Once named by Football365 as the worst player at the 2010 World Cup, Bright didn’t actually make the final squad and was left as a reserve – tellingly, Rory Fallon was taken instead.

CF: Guy Madjo

“We’ve got Guy Madjo, better than Eto’o” the chant optimistically went, as rumours went around of Madjo once being picked ahead of Samuel Eto’o for Cameroon. This, unfortunately, was a slight exaggeration – our hero was simply picked as a non-playing replacement for one of the world’s best strikers as Eto’o suffered one of those convenient injuries which somehow always seem to crop up before international friendlies.

This wasn’t the end of Madjo’s Indomitable Lions career however – he was named in the provisional under 23 squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which excused him from the first few weeks of Town’s season. Madjo featured in a friendly against Japan, but evidently didn’t impress as he missed out on the final squad and returned to Shropshire with his tail between his legs. After a promising start to his Town career, the striker faded, and left for rather unexpected spells in China and Albania before recently signing for Stevenage.

Heat's 2007 Torso of the Year, and star of Turkey A2 Team

Subs:

Thomas Nielson Danish left back of the mid 1990s.

John Keister Absymal midfielder for Town, made two appearances for Sierra Leone.

Ömer Rıza Once played for Turkey A2 – their B team. Awful for Town.

Rory Fallon Terrible loanee from 2001 now has 10 caps for New Zealand.

Glynn Hurst Has apparently earned five caps for South Africa under 23s.

Fola Onibuje Utterly dreadful Nigerian winger who played one League Cup game for Town.

(Is there a theme here?)

More articles on Shrewsbury Town:

Joe Hart and 21 Others