Nicky Adams presses claims for Leicester City starting spot
The Welsh under-21 international found himself shipped out on loan to Rochdale last season.
But his performance against the League Two club could put him at the forefront of manager Nigel Pearson's mind when he chooses the team for the August 8 opener against Swansea.
Adams did not get on the scoresheet but played a part in three of City's four goals, which all came before the break.
The second half drifted along mundanely but there was plenty to savour in the opening 45 minutes.
Pearson made four changes to the starting line-up from Tuesday night's goalless draw at Mansfield as Adams replaced Max Gradel, Jack Hobbs took over Wayne Brown's centre-half berth, skipper Matt Oakley stepped in for Andy King and Robbie Neilson took over from rookie right-back Luke O'Neill.
With City ending the first half with such an emphatic lead, it would be easy to forget that Shrewsbury had the best two early chances as Jake Robinson fired a stinging shot just over after six minutes and then Omer Riza's air-shot did not do justice to the quality of Lewis Neal's cross.
Shrewsbury were made to pay when they gifted City a 12th-minute opener as home keeper Andreas Arestidou went AWOL as Adams delivered a right-wing corner which centre-half Hobbs headed into an unguarded net.
If the first goal was a fortunate break, there was no disguising the quality of City's second strike after 19 minutes.
It was certainly punishingly direct as keeper Chris Weale's booming goal-kick was the sort of aerial delivery which Steve Howard feeds on. He flicked the ball on to Adams whose chip picked out the on-rushing Lloyd Dyer and he punished Arestidou's reckless charge out of his goal to secure a healthy advantage.
Keeper Weale has made a confident, assured start to his City career without being overly troubled but he had to be smart to deny Craig Dibley as he raced to meet Robinson's clever chip into the penalty area.
It proved to be a timely intervention by the City keeper because, before the half-hour mark, the rampant League One champions were three goals to the good.
Adams again did the groundwork with a terrific burst and he picked out Dyer on the left and his cross was turned home by N'Guessan – the ex-Lincoln man's first goal for the club – as he continued in a striking role in place of the absent Matty Fryatt.
In the final 15 minutes of the half, with Shrewsbury wilting under the pressure, City looked capable of scoring every time they crossed the halfway line.
Howard was denied by the keeper but, after 37 minutes, it was 4-0 with another direct execution as Neilson's long throw was flicked on by Howard and drilled home by Dyer for his second goal of the game.
Pearson had been introduced to the home crowd before kick-off after making his professional bow for Shrewsbury as a 17-year-old in 1981, when the club played at Gay Meadow, and going on to make more than 150 appearances.
The Shrewsbury players, particularly the impressive Andre Gray, stuck manfully to the task in the second half and the action was also disrupted by the comings and goings on the dug-out. There was a bit of handbags stuff involving Gray and City centre-half Michael Morrison before an Adams shot flew straight at Arestidou and Shrewsbury's Neal fluffed the first of two close-range headed chances which was about the extent of the second-half action.
So four goals scored, none conceded and a performance which was a clear step-up in quality from City's first friendly forays.
Shrewsbury: Arestidou, Holden, McIntyre, Disley, Cansdell-Sherriff, Langmead, Dobson (Gray 30), Murray (Leslie 72), Robinson, Riza (Simpson 55), Neal. Subs (not used): Dunfield, Hooman
City: Weale, Neilson (Tunchev 60), Berner (O'Neill 60), Morrison, Hobbs, Wellens (A King 65), Adams, Oakley, Howard, N'Guessan (Dickov 45), Dyer (Gradel 72). Subs (not used): Logan, Powell, Verma, Chambers, Burns
Referee: Steve Rushton (Staffordshire)
Attedance: 2,030 (488 City fans)
Nicky Adams (left)
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