Liam Lawrence doesn't regret time in Greece

The Town midfielder made 29 appearances for PAOK in Greece prior to his summer move to the Greenhous Meadow.

He said: "It's a bit different from Greece – that was an adventure. The fans over there aren't like English fans. I remember PAOK had a quite a few rivals, including Panathinaikos.

"One time we were coming back from a game in Athens – we hadn't been playing them – but as we travelled along the motorway the police stopped us and said we had to head back because their fans were waiting for us.

"We ended up heading into a village and hiding in the mountains. We just sat there in the dark for two-and-a-half-hours until they got bored. It was absolutely crazy.

"But I'm still glad I went out there. I was a great experience for me, especially as I got to play in the Europa League."

Lawrence, who has 15 caps for the Republic of Ireland, might not have had to hide from any sets of supporters in League Two this season, but he still admits to feeling nerves.

The 32-year-old former Stoke and Sunderland man netted a last-minute penalty in Shrewsbury's 2-1 win at Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

He needed all of his experience to calmly slot the ball home, after striker Andy Mangan had been fouled in the box.

The 95th-minute spot-kick secured an incredible comeback win for Town who claimed all three points despite being a goal down when Jermaine Grandison saw red for a foul on Ade Yusuff.

Lawrence said: "You're always nervous, it doesn't matter if it's in training or if it's in front of 60,000 people, well I am anyway; it's just the way I am.

"I was tired, I had made a lot of forward runs so I took an extra minute to stand and compose myself to get my breath.

"We had been 1-0 down and had our biggest centre-half sent off so you do think, 'here we go'

"But we actually started to play better and got stronger and stronger. Now we need to keep this mentality if we're going to get promoted."

The midfielder has been impressed with striker Mangan, who came off the bench to score against Dagenham, as he did against Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Lawrence said: "If we can get him on double figures or towards the 20s then we will have every chance of getting promoted."