He made his first-team debut as a 75th-minute substitute coming on for Gerald Sibon in the FA Cup third round against Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium during a 3–1 defeat on 7 January 2003.
[6] He made eight appearances but failed to score before he was recalled by Wednesday in January 2004 due to an injury crisis at the club.
[8] Shaw made eight starts that season for Wednesday and scored his first two senior goals, with a header against Luton Town and a long range effort against Queens Park Rangers in front of 29,313 fans at Hillsborough.
He joined Conference National team Burton Albion in November 2004 on non-contract terms,[14] where he was reunited with former strike partner Mark Robins.
He also played in the lucrative FA Cup tie against Manchester United on 8 January 2006 where he helped secure a 0–0 draw.
[17] However, in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, Shaw was forced to leave the field of play due to an injury sustained to the mouth.
[18] He made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Oxford United,[19] before scoring two goals in the following game, a 3–2 victory over Stafford Rangers.
[26] His debut in the league came later in the week against Barnet at Spotland on 16 August, and he wrapped up a 3–1 victory with the final goal of the game, with a shot into the corner in the 72nd minute.
[27] He suffered from an injury, and soon after recovering joined Conference side Crawley Town on loan for the rest of the 2008–09 season on 6 January 2009.
[32] Shaw joined Gateshead on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009,[33] making his debut in the FA Trophy First Round replay away at Harrogate Town on 15 December 2009.
[34] Shaw only made 2 appearances for Gateshead during the loan spell, the other being a league game against Barrow on Boxing Day.
[35] On 14 January 2010, Shaw left Rochdale by mutual consent to pursue a contract with Conference Premier side Mansfield Town.
[47] Shaw signed for Gateshead's Conference Premier rivals Luton Town on a two-year contract on 21 June 2012.
Shaw's role was initially not noticed by the referee, but he was later charged by the Football Association with violent conduct and banned for three matches.
[50] In total, Shaw scored eight league goals for Luton during the 2012–13 season as the club finished seventh in the table.
[60] Shaw was appointed assistant manager of Blyth Spartans under Graham Fenton, with whom he had worked for several years at South Shields.