eague One clash with Northampton, Wanderers boss Ian Evatt speaks to the media.
Cobblers boss Jon Brady believes there’s no limit to Shaun McWilliams’ potential as the midfielder prepares to play his 200th game for the club this weekend.
Homegrown and academy produced, McWilliams made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2017 and his best football has come under Brady in the last two and a half years.
“It’s a really big milestone for Shaun to reach 200 games, especially at League One and Two level,” said Brady. “He should now stay at this level in my opinion because he’s got the ability, as we’ve seen in the last three or four games.
“He’s played some of his best football this season but he’s still maturing and it would be great to have that consistency in performances and in fitness and touch wood that continues and he keeps playing well.”
Previously pigeonholed as a ball-winning, defensive-minded player, McWilliams has come on leaps and bounds under Brady and is now a well-rounded central midfielder.
“Even at 25 with all those games under his belt, I feel he’s still learning and still growing,” Brady added. “He’s at the top end of his game but I believe he has a lot more growth in him and the potential in Shaun is unlimited.
“I wouldn’t want to put a ceiling on him because I believe in him so much and if he can be consistent and stay fit between now and the end of the season, it would make a huge difference for us.”
McWilliams has been excellent in a more orthodox central midfield role this season after thriving further forward last year.
“I believed in Shaun right from the start and I wanted to develop him more, especially the other side of his game,” continued Brady. “At stages last season, when we played 4-3-3, he was able to get forward more and he had that little run of scoring a few goals.
“He enjoyed that role but at the moment we’ve found a certain shape that suits us with the players we have. Shaun’s combined well with Marc (Leonard) and I just feel it’s about giving him the confidence to develop on the ball
“Naturally he can do the other side of the game with his pace and he’s very determined, and I think he’s showed a lot more discipline recently because we don’t like players going to ground. We want players staying on their feet and getting in the line of the ball and he’s shown a lot more discipline in doing that.
“If he can keep improving his fitness levels to be strong in the final 15 minutes of games and his body stays strong and consistent throughout the season, I think that’s the key thing for him now because everything else, I’m really pleased with at the moment.”
