Bernard McNally: Shrewsbury Town have got their fans daring to dream
It was a superb show of resilience as Shrewsbury carried on their outstanding run at Doncaster.
Going a goal down at the Keepmoat Stadium, their heads could have dropped, writes Bernard McNally.
But Paul Hurst’s charges displayed plenty of determination to win 2-1 – Arthur Gnahoua striking deep into added-on time.
That result means they remain top of League One, having picked up eight wins and two draws.
And the way they are going, it is phenomenal as we have all been wondering in recent weeks when the unbeaten streak will end.
They are obviously a very confident bunch, but they are not complacent.
It has been a long time since Shrewsbury fans have had reason to be this excited, and people are daring to believe.
Yes, it is a long season – us fans know that – and Paul and his assistant Chris Doig know that, they will be playing it down.
But winning becomes a habit, which is very hard for other teams to break.
What was also impressive about Tuesday night is the fact there were four changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Blackburn this past weekend.
Omar Beckles made his full league debut for the club, coming in alongside Louis Dodds, Carlton Morris and Joe Riley, who scored the other for Town. Louis has been a little hard done by, you might say.
He would have been one of the first names on the teamsheet this time last year, and the other three are players of good quality, but that is just how much the team has been strengthened.
Players coming off the bench add a different dimension now. There are so many different, good options for Paul to choose from.
Arthur started off a little slowly after coming in from Kidderminster Harriers but has staked a claim with that late goal. There is competition for every single place.
Everyone wants to be part of it, there is so much enthusiasm and optimism there – and self-belief. The attitude and the work rate has been tremendous, they are such a difficult team to break down.
Over the 10 games, they have only been behind for a total of 22 minutes and while the defence has, of course, played a big part in that, the midfield deserves a lot of credit.
I took 10 minutes in last home game, against Blackburn, just to specifically look at Ben Godfrey – and what a promising talent he is.
He screens that back four, breaks up play and is just very tidy. Then you have Jon Nolan who has got that quality on the ball, and Abu Ogogo is like a human dynamo – he is everywhere.
It is the time now for Shrewsbury fans to get their coats on, get out and support the team.
I would encourage anyone to go along and watch them as Paul’s charges are resilient and, best of all, want to play good football.
