Shackell keen to play a big role; WOLVES NEW BOY IS SMALL-SCREEN STAR EXCLUSIVE.

Byline: BY MAT KENDRICK

REALITY TV heart-throb Jason Shackell is plotting to become one of Wolves' leading men - after starring in an American show watched by millions.

The former Norwich City defender randomly appeared in two episodes of the MTV teen drama The Hills, which has a cult following in the States and now over here.

Uprooting from East Anglia to the West Midlands will not be too much of a culture shock for Shackell, who joined Wolves from the Canaries for pounds 1million last week.

But The Hills, which has attracted audiences of around ve million viewers, is set in Los Angeles and is known for its glamorous locations and beautiful people.

By a strange sequence of events, Shackell found himself in front of the cameras in season three of the ratings hit during a trip to California to recover from injury last year.

But by joining Mick McCarthy's Wolves, the 24-year-old pin-up hopes to exchange premieres for the Premier League and the Golden State for the Golden Palace.

Although clips of Shackell in The Hills are readily available on the internet, the modest 6ft 4in star would prefer to roll the closing credits on his reality TV career.

"I don't want to talk about that to be fair," said Shackell.

"It's just one of those things that came about. It wasn't all that it was made out to be.

"I just want to get in the team here and do well personally and want the team to do as well as possible.

"It's not going to be easy. Everybody wants to play. I'm just going to keep my head down work hard and wait for an opportunity.

"Now I'm trying to look ahead to my time at Wolves and not focus about anything that's in the past."

Although Shackell is more concerned with the old gold and black than the Golden Globes, the latest episode in his career would be more in keeping with another US reality show - The Simple Life.

The Stevenage-born player will adopt a "back to basics" approach to try and force his way among McCarthy's entertainers, who lead the Championship ahead of Preston and Birmingham on goal difference.

He can play in the middle of defence or on the left, but last week's captures of Preston's Matt Hill and Exeter's George Friend suggest Shackell is in line for a central role.

But he acknowledges he may have to play the familiar part of 'extra' for the time being with Richard Stearman, Neill Collins and Darren Ward in ne form in that position.

"I look at myself as a simple centre half," he said. "I try to win my tackles, win my headers and if it has to go, it has to go.

"But if I've got a bit of time I like to get the ball down.

"I like to do the basics well and once I get settled in hopefully I'll build from that. I don't like to see myself just taking chances. I like to do things right, especially at the start.

"I've played left-back once or twice. It's not my preferred position but if I need to play there to be in the team I'll do it.

"But I'm mainly a centre half. We've signed a couple of left backs so I take it I'm here as a centre half.

"Whether I get in the team straight away or not I can't complain because they've been on re and started really well, so I've just got to keep my head down and wait for an opportunity."

Shackell is no stranger to being an understudy and it was the lack of action that persuaded him to leave CarrowRoad after ve years and 119 appearances for Norwich.

"Obviously it's going to be a little bit sad leaving a few friends and leaving my missus behind so it's a big change for me," he added. "But it was the right time. I needed to move on. I needed a change and I'm excited to be here.

"That's football, I've had a good few years there, played quite a few games and enjoyed every second of it. The lads were great and that's where I learned my trade." [e-mail]

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CLASS ACT: Wolves' Jason Shackell and stars of The Hills (left)