Fleetwood 2 Town 1 - Report and pictures

Grant, who won promotion with Salop last season on loan from Blackpool, scored a memorable last-minute winner.

It made it a miserable return for Town's returning former Fleetwood manager Micky Mellon. Much-changed Town suffered their third straight defeat on the road.

They surrendered the spectacular 25th-minute lead given to them by returning Cod Army favourite Junior Brown then cancelled out by sub Ashley Hunter on 69.

Fleetwood (4-4-2): Maxwell; Forbes, Wood, Teixeira, Bell; Sarcevic, Nirennold (Grant 88), Ryan, Haughton (Davis 90+4); Proctor, Matt (Hunter 63).

Subs not used: Ball, Gogic (gk).

Shrewsbury Town (3-1-4-2): LEUTWILER 7; Ellis 6, Grandison 5, Sadler 6; Black 6 (Ogogo 67, 5); Patterson 6, Clark 5, Cole 6, Brown 6; Barnett 5, McAlinden 6 (Kaikai 74, 5).

Subs not used: Whalley, Smith, Rowley (gk).

Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambs).

Town were second best before their goal and after the equaliser as Fleetwood hit the woodwork twice and forced two blocks by goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler, to make it a long trip back for the 113 away fans.

As expected, boss Micky Mellon rang the changes on his first visit back to Fleetwood, who he managed from 2008-12, and Town's first meeting with the Cod Army.

Jermaine Grandison, Mat Sadler and Larnell Cole were the only survivors from Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Coventry.

Jayson Leutwiler, Tyrone Barnett and Liam McAlinden were the enforced switches with Mark Halstead (groin), James Collins (paternity leave), Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro (family issue) all out.

But there was a debut for Ian Black and recalls for Mark Ellis, who was named captain, Jordan Clark and Brown, as Mellon switched from a 4-2-3-1 formation to 3-1-4-2.

Fleetwood started the better of the two sides, but found themselves trailing at the break.

To be fair to Salop, the goal they scored just after the midway point of the half took the fire out of their hosts.

But it was the visitors who had the first chance in the 12th minute when McAlinden sent a powerful header wide from Sam Patterson's centre.

They followed that up with a curling free kick from Jordan Clark four minutes later that Chris Maxwell scrambled across goal for, but was always drifting wide.

Fleetwood showed their heads soon after when Jamie Proctor opted to head a deep cross across goal and Jamille Matt couldn't reach it.

But with 20 minutes on the clock, Fleetwood had the chance to break the deadlock.

Antonio Sarcevic did superbly to beat Patterson and stung Leutwiler's hands with a shot then appeared to be bundled over by Black but the referee waved play on.

Shrewsbury punished Fleetwood by taking the lead with their next attack when Brown seized on a mistake by right back Tyler Forbes on halfway.

He advanced forward and crashing a cross shot into the far corner of thr net to open his account for Salop.

The goal settled Town and seemed to take the edge off Fleetwood's earlier sharper play and the visitors were able to come into the game more.

McAlinden left his man for dead on 35 and teed up Barnett for seemingly the perfect tap-in only for the burly frontman to scuff his contact and the ball trickled wide.

Two minutes later, Barnett returned the favour and put the on-loan Wolves striker through but McAlinden could only drill inhes wide.

Dangerman Sarcevic caused Town problems again on the stroke of half-time when he cut inside from the right only to roll his shot wide, with Leutwiler rooted to the spot and anxiously looking to his left.

With Bolton boss Neil Lennon and a contingent from Stoke in the stands, Town were first to show at the beginning of the second-half when Sadler headed powerfully over from Clark's corner on 48.

Four minutes later, though, action switched to the other end.

Leutwiler produced a superb point-blank block to deny Proctor's shot as the striker fell after Dionatan Teixeira headed on Nick Haughton's cross.

Fleetwood were soon forcing their way back into the game. Proctor beat Ellis to head onto the bar from Sarcevic's cross on 63. Two minutes later, Leutwiler needed to palm Nick Haughton's fierce drive wide.

Then came the equaliser as Hunter, just six minutes after coming on, cashed in when he intercepted Grandison's back-pass before burying left footed under Leutwiler.

Either side of the goal, Town brought on Abu Ogogo and Sullay Kaikai for Ian Black and McAlinden to give them fresh legs.

But the impetus was all with Fleetwood and they looked the more likely scorers as the game wore on.

Against the run of play, substitute Kaikai should have restored Town's lead from Cole's cutback but he sliced his kick horribly from 10 yards out.

But Fleetwood returned to the attack and that man Sarcevic slammed it straight at Leutweiler then Hunter beat the keeper only to see his slashed effort hit the base of the post and bounce out.

Grant replaced Victor Nirrenold for Fleetwood with two minutes left and he was to have a lasting impact on proceedings against his old club.

With the Cod Army on the offensive, Grant looked up and rifled a left foot drive into the top corner of the net right on the end of normal time to end Town's interest in the competition for another year.