Lincoln boss Michael Appleton expecting to be frustrated by Shrewsbury

While taking over at a club that is on the rise and has a fair amount of potential would have been appealing for the former West Brom and Preston midfielder, replicating the success of the Cowley brothers will be an almost impossible task.

Danny and Nicky departed for Huddersfield last month having won two promotions and two league titles, as well as a magical FA Cup run and – as Shrewsbury know – a Wembley success in the Checkatrade Trophy.

Appleton has lost two of his three league games so far, although the one home fixture brought an impressive 2-0 success against Sunderland.

And the former Baggies assistant boss is expecting his side to face a tough evening trying to break down a Shrewsbury side that has one of the best defensive records in League One.

“Since Sam’s gone in there, they’ve been difficult to beat,” said Appleton.

“They’ve got more flair this season and they’re a side which is going to be competitive in every game they play. They’ve proved that already this season.

“They’re going to be very stubborn and hard to break down. We have to be organised and ready for what’s coming. If we’re not, and our attitude is slightly different to what we showed against Sunderland and Peterborough, we’ll lose the game.

“I’m guessing they’re going to come here and be very stubborn and look to frustrate us.

“Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen a lot of teams revert to three at the back. That can be hard to play against, if they do it well.”

Michael O’Connor is a doubt with the neck injury he sustained in last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Peterborough United.

Midfielder Joe Morrell is available after playing for Wales in their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Slovakia and Croatia.