Shrewsbury Town struggling to find the net after Brentford loss - match analysis and pictures

Advance match tickets for home fans were sold at the best price the supporter could pay, with the minimum £1.

The club were raising money for Sport Relief, too, as when more than £5 was paid for a ticket 50 per cent of the excess, excluding VAT, was collected and will be donated.

Weather ruined the first 'Pay What You Can' –innovative for a Football League club – last year as the game was rained off. February's re-arranged midweek fixture drew 7,022 fans.

There were 9,783 for the Saturday 'Pay What You Can' the club he hoped for and, on the ground of League One play-off contenders last season, was never going to make Shrewsbury's job any easier.

What Town had to do was take their chances when they come and ride their luck at the other end, keeping Brentford out for as long a possible.

It lasted 16 minutes – the recalled Marcello Trotta applied the finish as Town were carved open at the back. At the other end, opportunities either went begging or didn't even turn into chances at all.

Gaps in the Shrewsbury defence were forming from the off, first when Kadeem Harris' corner from the right fell into a defender-free box. Fortunately for them, Aaron Wildig had tracked back to clear.

On 13 minutes, the hosts came forward again as Adam Forshaw, often the architect of great balls in from the right, found Trotta in the box who fired wide, under pressure from Dave Winfield.

Three minutes later, the goal the home side had been threatening came when Harris, on loan from Premier League side Cardiff City, took a touch and used his pace to go past left-back Joe Jacobson.

Harris' cross into the box was put on a plate to Trotta, who really couldn't miss at point-blank range as he side-footed a low volley past Shrewsbury goalkeeper Chris Weale.

Brentford went for a second in quick succession and Clayton Donaldson's touch let him down seconds after the goal, while Forshaw's effort dipped over the bar.

Donaldson blazed over on the volley in the 22nd minute, after blue and amber debutant Nicky Wroe's interception from Jonathan Douglas had landed in his path.

Shrewsbury suddenly sprang to life in the 33rd minute, Tom Bradshaw starting the move off, freeing Liam McAlinden on the right.

When he put the ball in, the only person waiting in the box was Brentford defender Alan McCormack, who headed the ball back out of the box.

Two minutes later, Bradshaw's short pass set Jon Taylor to run at defenders and them coming to him opened up space to shoot, but goalkeeper David Button jumped on a tame shot.

Brentford then went close twice themselves in a matter of seconds on 36 minutes, Trotta firing over from outside the box before George Saville, going to ground, shot narrowly wide of the near post.

Donaldson's profligacy in front of goal was becoming all too apparent and it was to Shrewsbury's gain, evidenced five minutes before the break.

He was climbing all over Town captain Tamika Mkandawire but managed to get his head to Harris' cross, only to head wide of Weale's right hand post.

A minute later, Taylor suddenly found himself unmarked in front of goal but he mulled over his options for far too long, giving Brentford defender Tony Craig the chance to tackle wide.

Taylor got more on another shot outside of the area on the stroke of half-time, but Button was again equal to it.

With the words of Town manager Graham Turner no doubt ringing in their ears, Shrews came out for the second-half and had another go at the home side.

In the 52nd minute, their best chance of the game again came Taylor's way as a spot of head tennis in the Brentford box ended up in his direction.

He nodded goalwards towards a back-pedalling Button forcing the Bees shot-stopper, at full stretch, to push over the bar.

It sparked Shrewsbury's best period of the game as they forced corners and came forward in their droves. Ultimately, a lot of the balls in came to nothing.

This was clear on 58 minutes when a slick passing move started with Wroe, the on-loan Preston midfielder making his second bow for the club, robbed Forshaw.

He quickly slid the ball along to Wildig, who fed Parry on the right. The crossed dropped right in the middle of the penalty box without a single soul around.

Winfield had also powered a deflected header wide, while Wroe also dragged a long-range effort just past the post.

Parry then tried his luck from distance and got power on his drive goalwards, but his effort flashed wide of Button and the frame of the goal.

Winfield then blew a gasket when the Town defence, who had already seen Saville's effort from outside of the box narrowly miss the target, switched off.

Trotta walked through unopposed in the 68th minute with the back-line standing like statues apart from Winfield, who pressured him as he fired wide. He bashed his hands together in frustration.

A minute later, it was nearly disaster again as Forshaw's looping ball into the box headed towards an unmarked Donaldson but the Bees hit-man got his timings wrong, missing the ball completely.

Shrewsbury threw on Adam Reach and Cristian Lopez, the provider and goalscorer respectively in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw at home to Gillingham, as they searched for an equaliser.

Off came Parry and Bradshaw and it was Reach who went close to the breakthrough as the match entered a nervy final five minutes, with a rasping 25 yard drive that whistled over the bar.

But it could have Brentford that got the second goal of the game, twice, in stoppage time. Donaldson had time to poise himself as the ball ran to him inside the box but he steered wide of the far post.

Seconds later, Donaldson broke on the right and played in onrushing substitute Sam Saunders, whose low drive skidded past the woodwork. It seemed 2-0 was probably, 1-1 maybe less so.

Toothless in attack, in this instance, it's clear to see that Town lack a killer touch. Bradshaw played well, but was creator more than attacker, while McAlinden worked hard but was often isolated.

Lopez doesn't do much when he's not putting the ball in the back of the net which can be forgiven – as long as you score. John Marsden will, perhaps, redress the balance when fully fit.

Two of those forwards will eventually leave the Greenhous Meadow, in any case, as loanees returning to their parent clubs.

Who will emerge as this season's Tom Eaves is anyone's guess.