The difficulties of being an exiled Shrew
As a Town fan living in London, you really do savour the games you manage to get to. Not only am I based 169 miles away from Shrewsbury, I work in sports broadcasting, which means my weekends are usually filled by work writes Adam Calverley.
As a Town fan living in London, you really do savour the games you manage to get to. Not only am I based 169 miles away from Shrewsbury, I work in sports broadcasting, which means my weekends are usually filled by work writes Adam Calverley.
There are many Salopians exiled dotted around the country and the globe who will know what it is like to follow your teams from afar. You find yourself trawling through news aggregate websites to find the latest news from Greenhous Meadow and watching highlights on the club website - no substitute for attending in person, especially with our home record this season.
It is always a treat when Town venture down south. However, life never runs smoothly does it?
I am due to be working until 4pm this Saturday. We kick off against Barnet at Underhill at 3pm, which is a bit of an issue. At times like these, you just hope that your boss is an understanding football fan who will let you off a couple of hours early. However, as an Arsenal supporter licking his wounds after a Champions League humiliation, he may hate the sport at the moment.
Torquay aside, we seem to have been in real form and the hard fought victory over a resolute Bristol Rovers on Tuesday was incredibly promising.
Town have usually faltered during the deep mid-winter in the last few years but I have been increasingly encouraged by the club's successes of late - could it make the difference this season?
Many Town fans will feel the same when it comes to the playoffs - not this year, please. It is time for Town to see it through, get over the line and move on up.
Easily said, easily done?
Well, a quick glance at the League Two table will let you know that it is much more difficult than that. A mere six points separates the top six and there are some formidable sides gunning for those three automatic spots this season.
Swindon and Torquay are the in-form teams and you wouldn't put it past Paolo Di Canio to lead his charges to League One at the first time of asking.
Cheltenham and Southend have been quite surprising this term considering their financial restraints and their recent form suggests they may be starting to suffer from. Both sides have only won one of their last five matches. It is getting tight at the top.
As for Saturday, Barnet are playing well.
Lawrie Sanchez's side are undefeated in their last five outings but they are eighteenth for a reason and we should be leaving North London with all three points, whether I will be there to witness the triumph is another question...
