Five talking points from Shrewbsury Town’s win at Portsmouth

1 Return of the Mac.

Making his first league start since October, Craig MacGillivray made a series of fine saves to keep Pompey at bay.

He proved he is very capable of stepping up to the task when needed – in this case due to Dean Henderson being suspended.

It was just his third league start for Town, in front of more than 17,500 supporters, but he was not at all fazed.

His current deal expires in the summer and, on this evidence at Fratton Park, Salop should not hesitate to extend his stay.

2 The rise of James Bolton.

The right-back’s strike was his first for Town, after signing from non-league Gateshead last summer.

And as well as scoring, Bolton’s defensive display was rock solid.

He has come on leaps and bounds in his time at Salop and appears to be thriving amid added competition – following the arrival of Luke Hendrie earlier this month.

Bolton, 23, is a great example of Paul Hurst’s transfer approach – signing players with little name value, who are willing to work hard, and helping them flourish.

3 Abu Ogogo’s relentless work rate.

We have known for quite a while that Town’s matchday skipper covers a lot of ground.

He is a workhorse who makes a countless number of interceptions in almost every game he plays.

This victory at Pompey, though, reaffirmed just how important he is to Salop and their hopes of sealing promotion to the Championship.

Ogogo sets the tone for the rest of his teammates.

Keeping the 28-year-old fit is a must as there is nobody else in the team like him.

4 A winger is needed.

Right winger Shaun Whalley got the assist for Bolton’s goal while Alex Rodman – who was on the opposite flank – struggled to get into the game.

The latter seemed to tire as the game drew to a close and an extra option should come in to ease the load on those two.

Hurst has made no bones of his desire to bring in a wideman, with Sheffield United’s Nathan Thomas a target.

Hopefully Town will get a deal done before the transfer window slams shut tomorrow.

5 A great day out.

Almost 500 Salop supporters made the 400-mile round trip to Fratton Park – and it was worth it.

It was not a free-flowing showing, by any means, but Hurst’s men dug in deep to get what could prove to be a crucial three points come the end of the season.

A superb response to a disheartening 2-2 draw with Doncaster the weekend prior, the Town players were rightly applauded off the pitch after the final whistle. A long day for the blue and amber faithful, but a deeply enjoyable one.