Shrewsbury Town 'gaining respect' from opposition sides - Paul Hurst

Shrewsbury Town beat Fleetwood Town 1-0 on Saturday to stay two points clear of Wigan Athletic at the top of the table with 15 games played.

It was their first-ever victory against the Cod Army, with defender Toto Nsiala heading home a Shaun Whalley corner in the 89th minute.

The visitors, in a slightly-tweaked 3-5-2 system, adopted a defensive approach in an attempt to stifle Salop.

“They were a back five more often than not. They changed slightly for us, a little tweak in midfield,” said Hurst.

“We could have only dreamed of someone changing for us last season.

“We are gaining the respect from opposition. We have to, ultimately, try to find ways to win games and if it is a set play, we will take that. We just want it all to continue.”

Nsiala and Whalley were two of Town’s standout performers at the Montgomery Waters Meadow.

Hurst said: “I think Shaun has probably had better days but it was not easy for anyone out there.

“He kept having that little spark. Just as you are maybe thinking about changing it, he comes up with something again.

“He does have his moments in games.

“With Toto, there were some bits where he was absolutely outstanding. It was just about trying to remind them all at half-time to stay nice and relaxed.

“It was a day of concentration, persistence was the word. There are going to be days like that, windy – it is what you are going to encounter over the autumn and winter months.

“We will have some difficult days, conditions wise – as well as the opposition.”

Hurst also praised his charges for trying to play attractive football in very windy conditions.

With a bit of jest, after comments from Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler about Town being a counter-attacking side, he added: “You have to win different types of games and we hung in there, played some decent stuff at times – especially for a team who, supposedly, give the ball back easily to the opposition.

“That was something I was made aware of coming into the game so I think we did alright for a team that is poor on the ball.”