Nat Knight-Percival has helped Connor Goldson kick on at Shrewsbury Town
Connor Goldson's commanding performances at the heart of Shrewsbury's defence have improved thanks to the summer arrival of Nat Knight-Percival.
That's the theory of assistant boss Mike Jackson who believes former Peterborough star Knight-Percival is the perfect role model for the talented Shrews youth graduate.
Goldson made his 100th professional appearance against Wycombe last weekend and is currently playing the best football of his career following a string of impressive displays.
And Jackson feels the 22-year-old defender has learnt a lot from the way Knight-Percival conducts himself on and off the pitch.
"Goldson falls into that category of player who wants to get better every day and is always willing to learn," he said.
"He works hard but he has also got a lot of good role models including Nat Knight-Percival.
"I think a lot of Nat's work this season has gone unsung because he has been fantastic.
"Connor has watched him and learnt from him both in the way he plays and with the way he deals with himself off the pitch. His arrival has given him someone to look up to. I think he has helped him massively."
Goldson's form this season has seen him named vice-captain by boss Micky Mellon and Jackson insists he has all the attributes for the job despite his relatively young age.
"The lad wants to be a player and he wants to be successful," Jackson said.
"He is confident and that is great. You want to see people like that.
"He is a kid that is growing up and improving all the time. He has grown in stature physically and mentally and he is vocal.
"He leads, he demands and he has got a good understanding of the game which is exactly what you need as a captain.
"It doesn't matter about age. If you know the game and you are good enough, then you are old enough."
Despite the praise, both Jackson and Goldson are aware the young defender still has areas of his game he needs to improve.
"I still think he has got more to come physically," the assistant boss said.
"He has improved physically because he is playing and he has learnt how to cope with the demands of the game.
"But I still think there is a lot more to come. The good news is that he knows that too and wants to improve."
