Sam Ricketts: Shrewsbury's loss to Rotherham a 'reality check'

Substitute striker Michael Wood headed into the top corner in the seventh minute of time added on to the seal the 2-1 victory.

Aaron Pierre's second-half header had brought Town level after Joe Mattock netted the first of three headed efforts on the hour in a physical League One encounter.

Ricketts, whose side were in good form on the back of two fine wins, said: "We had the euphoria of scoring in injury time last time out and today it went against us.

"I didn't think we were great but we didn't deserve to lose the game - we probably didn't deserve to win it either.

"Sometimes these things happen to you in football and you have to learn from it. They're a big side with six or seven lads going into the box and it cost us, conceding two goals.

"I was disappointed a foul got given against us and it goes in our box. We didn't win the first contact and it goes for a corner, there's a scramble, we can clear the ball but didn't, they keep it alive well, stand it up and Michael Smith puts it in."

Ricketts added: "We weren't where we wanted to be but it says something about the side that if we're not at our best we can still compete with a fancied team in the league.

"We were able to compete even not at our best and get caught with a sucker punch. It couldn't quite happen today. A little bit of quality let us down.

"It's a bit of a reality check with what's expected of us as a team and a club. We're not the finished article. We'll learn lessons like all year."

Captain Ollie Norburn was due to return from suspension but missed out through an illness picked up overnight having stayed in Shrewsbury to prepare for the game.

Ricketts added that everybody 'knows as much as him' about supposed Portsmouth interest in goalscorer Pierre.

He continued: "You know what I know. I saw it in their paper. We're coming to that tome of year where everyone's getting linked with everyone.

"But there's been nothing in any way, shape or form on that. Whether it's a journalist making a story or, if there is, we don't know about it.

"The players have done very well and rightly so people are going to be looking at them. It's a sign of a job well done here."