Win a title? Shrewsbury's Shaun Whalley managed it twice in one season!

The popular winger has been joking with his Shrewsbury Town team-mates about how to win a league title.

Paul Hurst’s men, top of the table ahead of Blackburn’s clash with Bradford tonight, are still – remarkably – battling it out with Wigan and Rovers at the summit of League One.

Town’s improbable charge to the top continues at Spotland tomorrow, where they face third tier strugglers Rochdale, before welcoming Oxford on Easter Monday.

Shrewsbury have few players with title-winning experience but Whalley can claim the bizarre feat of winning two in one season.

The 30-year-old is an experienced member of Hurst’s squad and, while confident Shrewsbury’s ‘calm professionals’ have the mettle to take their charge to the death, says he is happy to be a helping hand to those with fewer seasons under their belt.

“It is seriously exciting,” Whalley beamed. “I’m having to tell the lads what it’s like to win titles!

“They are exciting times. Starting from tomorrow there are nine cup finals – I know one is a cup final! – but they all are. It’s massive we keep winning.

“There’s no pressure on us but we want to do the best we can, 78 points at this time is an incredible total. It’ll be unlucky whoever misses out (on automatic promotion).”

Whalley won both the (then named) Conference Premier and Conference North with Luton Town and AFC Telford United respectively in the 2013/14. He was on loan to the Bucks in the latter stage of the campaign.

The winger, who has 10 goals this term, added: “I do joke with them a little bit. I won two in one season that time.

“I wasn’t with Luton in the run-in, I was at Telford but it was good because we were chasing North Ferriby. They were top for ages.

“It’s obviously a little bit different now but maybe in a couple of games we might be chasing someone down.

“Because I’m one of the more experienced lads in the changing room I have to help the younger lads and get them through any nerves or whatever.

“But they’re all fine, calm, professional people – they’ll be alright. I’d love to win this one, it’d be great.”

Town’s squad, particularly in the central midfield area, head into tomorrow’s north west clash somewhat threadbare.

Whalley may not be the answer to Hurst’s midfield conundrum. “No I haven’t been asked to play there yet but if the gaffer asked me to play centre-mid then I would play centre-mid – no problem,” he replied.

“I’m not sure if I have before. I probably have, for Southport, I used to get played wherever.”

Rochdale head into tomorrow’s clash second-bottom of League One and five points from safety, but Whalley insists that – with little more than a month of the season to go – analysing league tables gets you nowhere.

“Where they are means nothing, does it?” He added. “Everyone in League One has good players who, on their day, can be better than you. Hopefully we’ll be better than them tomorrow.

“It’s whether we can get the three points. It’s not about looking at the other teams.

“If we don’t go into our games and win then there’s no point looking at the table, it’ll mean nothing.”