Paul Hurst happy for Shrewsbury Town to be underdogs in the play-offs
Paul Hurst is happy for Shrewsbury Town to take the underdog title for the play-offs despite finishing third and pushing the top two all season.
Town battled hard with Wigan and Blackburn Rovers for the top two spots in League One. Despite sitting in the position for much of the season, Hurst’s men fell short.
After resting and changing the squad for the last four games of the season, Town still finished eight points clear of fourth-placed Rotherham and 16 ahead of Charlton, who they face over two legs in this week’s semi-final.
Yet the bookmakers have Hurst’s men as the longest odds to win promotion to the Championship. Rotherham are the favourites with most bookies, followed by Charlton and Scunthorpe. Town odds can be found at 7/2 and 3/1.
“They are all capable of getting promoted,” Hurst admitted. “I can make a case for each one.
“I can certainly make a case for us being the outsiders and the underdogs.
“People might say ‘but you finished third and had a cushion in terms of a points total on Rotherham next and Charlton in sixth’ – I see that – but if you delve deeper into it I’d say that we’re the underdogs.
“I’m OK with that. That’s not a problem. I’ll be interested to find out how it’s viewed.
“I might have got it wrong. Maybe we’ll be favourites but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if we weren’t.”
Hurst’s men carried the underdog tag for much of the first period of the League One season, particularly after they began the campaign with a thrilling 15-game unbeaten run.
Most neutrals tipped the Montgomery Waters Meadow outfit to fall away from their lofty position throughout the season.
