Shrewsbury Town 1 Sunderland 0 - Report and pictures

Sam Ricketts guided resilient Shrewsbury to a first victory over the Black Cats at the 12th attempt with a memorable victory at a vociferous Meadow.

Scotland international Cummings lashed in his fourth Shrewsbury goal midway through the first half to spark joyous celebrations with the Shrewsbury fans.

Ricketts’ men did not simply set out to defend with a change in formation urging his team on but Salop had to ride huge Sunderland pressure for much of the second half to make it seven clean sheets in 14. Town’s brilliantly drilled side - from front to back - stood firm against the Black Cats who could find no way through.

The excellent victory, roared on by delighted Town fans, is the standout league result of Ricketts’ 11 months in charge of Shrewsbury.

Sunderland, whose new boss Phil Parkinson succumbed to a second defeat in three games, found the woodwork twice, including late on, and drew some smart saves from Max O’Leary but the occasion, in front of more than 8,000 supporters, belonged to Shrewsbury.

There were tireless blue and amber displays throughout on a huge afternoon for Ricketts and his side as secured maximum spoils against the biggest of opposition in League One on a day that began with relentless showers but ended in glorious sunshine and will live long in the memory.

Ricketts and his ranks, who have completed October taking eight points from 12 and unbeaten in five in all competitions, knew the scale of the task that lay ahead of them going into the high-profile contest.

The rainy conditions - which had put paid to fixtures nationwide - greeted the 12th meeting between the sides and a Town victory was still missing from the record books. The Black Cats boasted eight wins from the previous 11 meetings.

The Shrews boss, whose side had gone unbeaten in three, went toe-to-toe with one of his former managers as Parkinson - recently appointed at the Stadium of Light - was the latest man tasked with waking the big-hitters from their League One malaise.

Parkinson signed Ricketts for Hull City some 13 years ago.

Despite defeat to surprise package Wycombe in his first league game in charge, Parkinson followed that up with a 5-0 hammering of Micky Mellon’s Tranmere in midweek, meaning Sunderland came to Shropshire with a spring in their step.

Ricketts’ hosts knew a point against Sunderland would not be a bad return, albeit Shrews have been looking for ways to turn draws into victories. They went into the game with the joint-highest draw total (six) in League One.

Dave Edwards and Shaun Whalley did enough in their cameos from the bench against Gillingham to merit a start against Sunderland. They were joined by Scott Golbourne as the hosts’ three changes.

Out went Sean Goss, Daniel Udoh and Ryan Giles. The former dropped from the side for the first time since his August arrival and the latter pair missing owing to injury. It was Giles’ first time out of a league side this season, meaning a first start for Golbourne.

There were subplots aplenty throughout the Town side. Skipper Ollie Norburn - linked with a Sunderland move last summer - was celebrating his 27th birthday and Donald Love started against the side who let him go on a free transfer earlier this year.

It took supporters longer than normal to get to their seats owing to the heavy traffic but the sold-out away end was full to the brink ahead of one of Shrews’ biggest games of the season.

And Ricketts had kept the former Premier League visitors guessing with a shuffle of his tactics. Town lined up 3-4-3 rather than the usual 3-5-2, with onus on wing-backs Golbourne and Love to venture forward as well as track the considerable attacking threat that Duncan Watmore, Chris Maguire and Aidan McGeady offer Sunderland.

Town attacking trio were Edwards and Whalley playing off lone striker Cummings, much like Edwards and Whalley finished well during the previous game against Gillingham.

Sunderland started well and Ireland international McGeady spurned a fine chance by lifting over from 12 yards inside just four minutes.

McGeady, as ever, was a huge threat and enjoyed the beating of his former team-mate Love a few times down Town’s right in the early stages.

As would be expected, Sunderland had more of the ball and did force Shrewsbury into a back five but the Black Cats did create little more of note in the game’s first quarter. Max Power and Maguire both fired well off-target from distance. Efforts Shrews were happy for them to have.

Whalley and Edwards were quite clearly tasked with playing fluid and hard-working roles off Cummings, applying pressure to the visiting defence when possible.

Town were finding pockets of possession, if not a penetrating touch. But Ricketts’ men did begin to find their feet and link passes together. One short free-kick orchestrated by Golbourne and Cummings was unfortunate in not coming off.

There was a sense the home side were not going to let their esteemed visitors have it all their own way and the Salop fans blew the roof off the Meadow at the mid-point of the first half.

And it was a fabulously-worked opener from Shrewsbury.

A set-piece into the Sunderland box was not convincingly cleared but the visitors would have sensed little danger when Josh Laurenmt took the ball on 30 yards out.

Town’s midfielder drove forward, head down and chest out, through to the left side of Sunderland’s box, weaving through a couple of half-hearted challenges.

Laurent fed a smart, low, cut-back into the Sunderland penalty area, his cross bamboozled defenders and found the grateful left foot of Cummings, which acted like a cannon, thrashing the ball into the bottom left corner with a first-time strike. Keeper Lee Burge was a mere spectator in front of the 1,500 or so away fans behind him.

Cummings’ fourth Town goal yet another example of the finishing prowess the Deadline Day signing from Nottingham Forest possesses.

Sunderland were getting very little change from the Shrews defence, marshalled as ever by Aaron Pierre, who was getting his body in the way of everything sent into the Town box.

Edwards was another earning his corn in blue and amber. The hometown favourite covered every blade of grass in a positive first period and rightly won praise from the fans.

Parkinson’s side looked starved of ideas at times. They got most of their due down their left through full-back Denver Hume, who was causing Shrews some issues but was unable to find a final ball.

Sunderland had Town rattled just once in a first half in which they largely struggled. Six minutes before the break striker WIll Grigg managed to evade Town’s offside track and fed back to Maguire, lurking outside the box, for the Scot to drill a rocket against Max O’Leary’s right post, which was left shaking.

But the hosts went off to richly deserved applause at the break, knowing they were halfway to a thoroughly memorable victory.

The Black Cats emerged with a different man in fluorescent green between the sticks for the second half as Burge - who showed no signs of an injury - was replaced by Jon McLaughlin.

The visitors upped the ante in the second period, attacking the end that housed their vociferous supporters, who were expecting far better from their side.

Right-back Luke O’Nien, who scored Sunderland’s second in the 2-0 win last year, was given plenty of joy down the right flank and whipped in some dangerous crosses, some of which were well defended and some pinged behind for corners, raising the decibel levels further.

Laurent was again showing his value to Town. His 50-yard dart down the pitch helped clear Town’s lines momentarily as the wall of blue and amber stood form.

The north east side were in the ascendency but Shrews still had intentions of their own. Whalley was causing all kinds of problems with his trickery and sharp speed of thought. Only fine covering from Hume denied Cummings a chance on goal from Whalley’s pass.

The action became freentic and stretched in the sort of basketball-style that Ricketts usually condemns.

Town were almost masters of their own downfall as a hospital pass from right to left across defence left Golbourne hanging, but Maguire was unable to profit as his rising angled strike was well parried by O’Leary in Shrews’ goals.

Cummings, still building up his fitness, was brought off for Fejiri Okenabirhie before the hour and the introduction of Okenabirhie added some fresh and willing running power as Shrews worked tirelessly to ensure the Black Cats could never settle at the back.

Parkinson rolled the dice themselves as more forward power in Mark McNulty was sent on for Watmore.

The midway point of the second period came and went as Sunderland went on the charge again. McGeady was the chief orchestrator down the Black Cats’ left. He whipped in some stunning deliveries, one which flew an inch from red and white bodies and another that had Grigg battling on the deck with Pierre and Golbourne for company.

Grigg turned away from the attention of Omar Beckles as Sunderland ventured forward again but could only fire over the top left corner. A Maguire cross escaped Town defender Love but McGeady could only send a first-time volley off-target as pressure on the home goal became more frequent.

Shrewsbury became penned in with 15 minutes to play. The home fans raised their own voices in attempt to road their defending side over the line.

The hosts needed a calm and assured foot on the ball as Ricketts send on Goss to help see out the final 10 minutes. Sunderland were smelling blood.

O’Nien climbed above Whalley and powered a header towards the bottom corner but O’Leary was somehow able to sprawl across and claw clear.

The visitors came closer still when midfielder Max Power thundered off the bar via a crucial fingertip save by O’Leary. As the clock ticked 87 minutes it was Maguire’s turn to drill inches wide from distance amid the one-way traffic.

But Shrews were not to be penetrated as their superbly drilled defence stood firm. The sun had began to peer around the rainclouds in Shropshire and it appeared a hint of Lady Luck was on Salop’s side but their admirable resilience meant they were well worthy of a historic victory.

Teams

Shrewsbury Town (3-4-3):

O’Leary; Williams, Pierre, Beckles; Love, Norburn ©, Laurent, Golbourne; Whalley (Goss, 81), Edwards (Thompson, 68), Cummings (Okenabirhie, 58).

Subs not used: Murphy (gk), Walker, Barnett, McCormick.

Sunderland (4-2-3-1):

Burge (McLaughlin, 45); O’Nien, Lynch, Willis, Hume; Dobson, Power ©; Watmore (McNulty, 60), Maguire, McGeady; Grigg (Kimpioka, 83).

Subs not used: McLaughlin, McGeouch, Flanagan, Leadbitter.

Referee: Jarred Gillett

Attendance: 8,117 (1,810 Sunderland fans)