Shrewsbury Town have confirmed one of their players is to leave the club at the end of the season.
The Shrews haven’t had the best return to League Two this season. After being relegated from League One last campaign, it was hoped they would mount a challenge for promotion back to the third tier.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case for the club.
With their status in League Two confirmed after nervously looking over their shoulders for the past few weeks, they have started preparations for next season.
Those preparations include confirming that defender Mal Benning will depart the club after almost three years with them.
Mal Benning to Leave Shrewsbury Town
The defender’s contract is set to expire this summer, and Shrewsbury Town will allow him to leave the club.
Speaking to the Shropshire Star ahead of their final home game of the season against Fleetwood Town, manager Gavin Cowan has confirmed Benning will leave but will be in the squad to allow Shrews fans to say goodbye to him:
“We had a conversation yesterday (Thursday) and he won’t be with us next year, but we will be involving him in the squad.
“So I’d love the fans to come out and show their appreciation for, not just this year, but the seasons he’s been with us, and some brilliant moments that we’ve had with him.”
Cowan also discussed how much of a fan of Benning’s he is, getting him to 500 games, and how important he has been at the club:
“I’ve always been a very big fan of Mal’s, I think he’s an absolute class act.
“He has proven that since I came into the building. From sitting in the stands and watching him, I always felt like he carried himself really well.
“He’s a really good role model for the football club. When people conduct themselves like that, they’re people you want around the place.
“I had a really frank conversation with him earlier about him being involved again. We managed to get him to his 500 appearances. But in doing that as well he’s played a huge part in keeping the club in the league. He’s been just an absolute class act.”
Right Time to Move
The timing of the decision to move appears to be the right one for both player and club.
This season, Benning’s only played 15 games in the league, starting just eight. He has played a total of 675 minutes, which is much less than the past two seasons at the club.
His reduced game time might be a shock to some Shrews fans. Last season, he played 44 games in League One, starting 39 of them and playing a total of 3621 minutes.
In that campaign, he received an average Sofscore rating of 6.92, the second highest in the squad. He was also the leading assister at the club with five assists.
But this year, he has found himself out of the picture. Benning found himself on the bench for the first couple of months of the season.
A big reason for that is the signing of Sam Clucas. The 35-year-old has been a regular on the left for Shrewsbury Town, keeping Benning out of the side.
