Shropshire

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Shrewsbury Town forward Kian McMahon-Brown has said he was grateful to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 set-up for allowing him to play for Salop on Saturday and is hoping he can return the favour against England on Tuesday.

The teenager has won two caps for his country and is targeting a third in their meeting with Lee Carsley's European Under-21 champions in Cork in their final qualifier for next year's tournament.

McMahon-Brown was given permission to leave the Ireland camp and play in Town's 3-1 win at Grimsby in League Two - something Shrewsbury wanted to keep quiet to surprise their hosts.

The 18-year-old responded by scoring his second goal for Salop in his fifth appearance of the season.

"It's always nice to go away and represent your country, so it was nice to go away, and thankfully they let me come back and play - and I got myself on the scoresheet again," McMahon-Brown told BBC Radio Shropshire.

The Republic of Ireland are currently second to England in their group and level on points with Slovakia, who take on Andorra.

With only the group winners and best-placed second team automatically qualifying, with the rest of the runners-up going into the play-offs, McMahon-Brown said he knows what an important occasion is ahead of him.

"Obviously we've got a massive game against England. Hopefully we can get a result and get ourselves in the play-offs," the Burnley loanee said.

"Any team you play when representing your country it's always nice but obviously it means more when it's England."

McMahon-Brown will return to Shrewsbury on Thursday in preparation for Saturday's home game against Exeter City.

His spell with Town is his first in senior football and he said he is learning a lot so far.

"It's going well. But it's always about the next game and we've got a big one on Saturday.

"There's still a long way to go and I've got a lot more to offer."

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Shrewsbury Town head coach Gavin Cowan says they had to keep Kian McMahon-Brown's inclusion in the squad for Saturday's League Two game at Grimsby Town a secret to try to surprise their hosts.

The 18-year-old started for Salop after being allowed back from international duty with the Republic of Ireland's Under-21 squad.

McMahon-Brown, who is with Town on loan from Championship club Burnley, scored Shrewsbury's second goal in their 3-1 win against the Mariners as Cowan's side stretched their unbeaten run to four games.

He since has returned to the Ireland camp as they prepare for their next Uefa Under-21 Championship qualifier against England in Cork on Tuesday.

Cowan said a lot of work had been done trying to get the teenager to play at the weekend.

"His performance probably indicates the reason why I've been on the phone half the week and it's credit to the set-up at the Republic of Ireland," Cowan told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"Jim Crawford, the manager there, has been really accommodating.

"He will go back now until Thursday but it's great for him to send him and but one we had to keep under wraps.

"We just want to go into every game with every 1% and we just felt if we could keep that under wraps then you know wouldn't allow them to plan so much."

McMahon-Brown has yet to break into the Clarets first team and is taking his first steps in senior football with Shrewsbury.

Cowan said he still has lots of improving to do but has already shown he has a good level of maturity for someone so young.

"When you just see him at the end there to make the decision to go into the corner off his own back [and kill time] just shows the level of professionalism he has," he added.

"He's looking for an opportunity in senior football and it's up to him to take it.

"There's much more he could be doing better. I've definitely got plans to keep improving him and keep developing him. He's definitely not the finished article.

"But he was able to capitalise on that big moment - that's the quality he has."

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Shrewsbury Town head coach Gavin Cowan says the departure of Tom Anderson to Carlisle on loan this week has potentially freed up some funds to add to the squad.

Anderson dropped into the National League in the search for regular football and will be with Carlisle until January.

Cowan said he was "gutted" to see the defender leave, adding the door to a return to the Salop first team will always be open.

"It's an absolute brilliant signing for them. If he comes back in I'll be I'll be over the moon because he is one class act," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"I did inherit three centre-halves who are very similar. That's tough to facilitate and Tom unfortunately experienced the brunt of that.

"There's other areas of the club that we need to make sure that are intact and that's above my pay grade but I have to trust what we're doing is right.

"We want to add [to the squad] whether it's now or in the window and we have to prepare ourselves for that and that's that's what this is part of."

Cowan said anyone who does come in will have to be "part of a bigger plan for either now or January" adding he is constantly "knocking on the door" and revealing the club were negotiating with striker Tom Eaves before he joined Gillingham.

"I've also got a lot of belief with the players we've got and I do feel like it takes a bit of time - players can't just be dropped into our formation, our way of playing, they need to learn it," Cowan added.

"So these lads here are learning every day, every week, every month. I'm really excited about the team getting better and better each week."

Shrewsbury are unbeaten in their last three games in League Two and go to sixth-placed Grimsby Town on Saturday (15:00 BST).