3/1 To Win
Everyone at Derby County will be keeping a keen eye on Wembley Stadium this weekend.
The Rams might have fallen just short in their pursuit of an end-of-season showdown in the capital, but one Derby man still has it all to play for.
Max Lowe has been out on loan at Shrewsbury Town since January and now, Paul Hurst’s side are looking to achieve something that looked near-impossible at the start of the campaign.
Town were odds-on with the bookmakers to be relegated this term, but now, they stand on the brink of promotion to the Sky Bet Championship.
Lowe believes that nerves will not be an issue for Shrewsbury as they travel to Wembley for the second time this season and he highlighted the key aspects that have allowed the team to defy expectations.
He told RamsTV: “When I first went, the gaffer told me to prove people wrong, because they were predicted to go down at the start of the season.
“Everyone is buzzing, we aren’t nervous and we are going to go there full of confidence.
“When I first arrived, the fitness of the lads was unbelievable. The training sessions – even before games – are intense and that goes into the games.
“We overrun every team that we play and there are a lot of good athletes in the squad.”
Lowe has made 12 appearances for Hurst’s side in League One, whilst he also featured during their run to the Checkatrade Trophy final.
The left-back has worked hard to adapt to a contrasting style of play in the third tier of English football, and he explained some of the challenges that he has faced along the way.
He said: “There is a big difference with League One and it took me a while to get used to, but now that I’ve found my feet, I love it.
“There are a lot of bigger lads and for the majority of the time, the ball is in the air, so it took me a good couple of games to get used to it.
“I got targeted in the air for the first couple of games, which you don’t get in the Championship so it was a different test for me and I think that I have improved in those areas.”
For the 21-year-old, the time that he has spent at Shrewsbury represents the first extended period of time away from Derby for over a decade.
Lowe admits that he was initially anxious to make the move, but he now believes that the experience will stand him in good stead when he returns to Pride Park Stadium.
“I was more nervous to go out on loan than I was when I made my debut for Derby, because Derby has been home since I was 10, so it was a massive change,” he explained.
“I’ve improved the physical side massively, I feel that my heading and defensive play has improved and hopefully that will show when we come back for pre-season.
“Personally, I didn’t feel ready because I had been so comfortable at Derby, but I needed it because it turns you into a man.”
