Paul Hurst urges Shrewsbury Town to not blow their shot at League One survival

The Town chief admitted the season had reached 'twitchy bum time' as Town stuttered to a dismal defeat in Staffordshire against Port Vale last Friday night.

The outcome left them winless in three – all against sides below them – now sitting just two points clear of League One's drop zone on the back of a run of just one away victory in 10.

The Shrews boss was hailed for leading the club's dramatic turnaround, taking them from rock-bottom upon arrival up to as high as 16th, but Town seem to have faltered with the finish line in sight.

Hurst said: "I'm just worried about the situation. I'd be lying if I stood in front of you and said 'we'd be alright', because I don't know if we'll be alright because that won't see us safe. I just think there'll be other teams in the situation. It's twitchy bum time, for everyone.

"I said to them do you want to be a League Two player? I don't want to be a League Two manager. I didn't come to get relegated.

"It's that stage of the season of eight games in six weeks, it's not like October when you've got plenty to put it right. You've only got so many chances now and you've got to take them."

Five of Town's remaining eight games come at Greenhous Meadow, where Shrewsbury have been in fine form since Hurst's appointment.

They're unbeaten on home soil in six games and have lost just once in 12 in SY2 under their manager.

The boss added: "The bottom line is the lads have done fantastically well to get where we are from where we were when we came in – let's not blow it now.

"That's how it'll feel, it won't matter if we were over-achieving, we're now at a point where we got ourselves in a good position, particularly the players, and we want that job finished off. At the minute it's starting to look a little bit more edgy.

"It's tough (the run-in) but we have to play better that we did against Vale else there will only be one place we're going – and that'll be out of this league."