Keeper Shenton confirms Buxton departure

Shenton was a regular under both Paul Phillips and Gary Hayward having signed for the former in the summer of 2019.

But having lost his place to Tommy Taylor last season, a loan move to Stalybridge Celtic then followed, only for the season to be curtailed soon afterwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And although Shenton was offered terms to remain at Buxton he has opted to head for pastures new.

He said: “I really enjoyed my time at the club.

"I signed for Paul Phillips, for whom I’d played at a couple of clubs beforehand, and when he left and Gary Hayward came in I wondered if, as is often the case in non-league, he’d bring someone in who he knew better and trusted.

"But I ended up keeping the shirt and getting player of the year and activated my option to stay at the end of that season.

"In the end, things didn’t work out but that’s football. It’s strange as I never actually played a full season given the two seasons were curtailed but I really enjoyed my time at Buxton.

"I have a young family and a lot of work commitments as well so travelling to Buxton was getting harder, which was another factor.”

Shenton now expects to return to playing for a club closer to his Lancashire base.

He said: “I’ve had a few conversations already and hopefully a good move will come up. I still want to play as high as possible, hopefully in the NPL or National League North, so we’ll see what happens.”

Shenton also took time to pay tribute to former Bucks striker James Dean, who tragically passed away over the weekend.

Dean played alongside Shenton for both Buxton and Trafford, as well as against him.

Shenton said: “I think he actually scored four or five past me in my NPL debut on loan at Salford when he was at Halifax, so I knew then he was a top player.

"We were then team-mates a couple of times and he was a brilliant guy and great player. Nobody had a bad word to say about him and it’s tragic he’s lost his life.”

For more on Dean’s passing, see page 45.