Shrews set for safe standing

STOKE chairman Peter Coates has accused Marko Arnautovic of a lack of loyalty.

The striker, right, has joined West Ham after Coates said Stoke had “resurrected” his career when he arrived in 2013 with a bad reputation.

Coates said: “Last year we put so much into giving him a long-term contract, then he comes back and says he wants to leave.” SHREWSBURY have moved closer to becoming the first Football League club to have a safe standing area at their ground.

The League One club’s application to have rail seats installed in a stand at the Montgomery Waters Meadow stadium has been approved by the Sports Ground Safety Authority.

A Shrewsbury statement read: “Following months of hard work and consultation with a number of football governing bodies, the Shrewsbury Town Supporters Parliament in conjunction with Shrewsbury Town Football Club, can announce the club is able to have rail seats installed as a safe standing area in a currently all-seater stadium.”

Rail seats – currently permitted in European countries such as Germany, Sweden and Austria – have safety barriers above and are locked into an upright position for domestic games.

The Shrews, who said they had received “huge support” for the project, will launch a crowdfunding campaign in a bid to try to raise the £50,000-£75,000 required to finance it.

The club aim to have the rail seats fitted and in use before the end of the coming season. LEROY SANE has had surgery to fix a nose problem that sometimes left him struggling to breathe during games for Manchester City last season. Sane, left, missed winning the Confederations Cup with Germany this month in order to have the operation. “Sometimes I would feel it during games, it was really hard to breathe but now it’s fine,” he said. ●FORMER Newcastle defender Mike Williamson, 33, has joined League One Oxford on a free transfer. He has signed a one-year deal after being released by Wolves.