Former Gillingham FC striker Joe Gbode returns to League Two, signs season-long loan at Shrewsbury Town

Gbode departed Priestfield back in January of 2025 after Luton put in a bid that was too big for the club to ignore. It offered the former Gills youth striker the chance to level up his game further up the football pyramid, but the young forward has found first-team football with The Hatters tough to come by, with just five League One appearances and three EFL Trophy runouts to his name since his move to Bedfordshire.

It prompted the club to loan him out to get more regular football, and he went to National League outfit Woking, where he scored three and assisted for two more across 15 appearances for The Cardinals as he continued to learn his craft.

Now Gbode is set for a new club for the upcoming campaign, with the 21-year-old signing on a season-long loan at Shrewsbury Town, where he’ll look to help fire the Shrews into League Two promotion contention in 2026/27.

"I'm delighted. Very, very, excited," Gbode told the Shrewsbury Town social media team.

"I'm looking forward to it as well, and hopefully I can make an impact.

"It means a lot because I understand what a football club means to a community. And obviously, when you do well, it obviously helps the community at large. So I feel like I bring energy. I'm a man of energy. I like to run. I like to get people off their seats."

Speaking to the official Shrewsbury Town website, Shrews manager Gavin Cowan explained why he moved to bring Gbode into his squad for the season ahead.

"Joe perfectly fits the profile of player we want to bring to the football club,” he said.

“He's a very good player at this level, with pace, power and the ability to score goals. When he gets defenders one-on-one, he's electric, and we're really excited to have him at the club."

Cowan continued, "What really stood out to me was his attitude. After moving from Gillingham to Luton last year, he found himself out of favour, but instead of waiting for an opportunity, he chose to go and play regular football in the National League.

“He's not a National League player – he's an EFL player – but he showed a fantastic mindset by doing whatever it took to keep playing and continue his development.

"He's someone I've known about for a while. He's still only 21 and is a striker with enormous potential.

“We've already seen what a great character he is. Now it's about helping him take the next step.”

It’s a chance for Gbode to make a fresh start and get some regular football at EFL level again. It could also see him come up against his former club when the Gills visit The Croud Meadow in League Two action on Saturday, October 31.

Then, he’ll get the chance to step back out onto the Priestfield turf when the Shrews come to ME7 on Saturday, January 30.