Dave Edwards: Let’s take Shrewsbury heroics into league
Dave Edwards has urged Shrewsbury Town to use their FA Cup heroics as inspiration for a League One play-off charge.
Town’s players have little time to reflect on Sunday’s stunning 2-2 fourth-round draw with European champions Liverpool, as they are quickly back in action at Gillingham tomorrow night.
Sam Ricketts’ men sit 16th in the standings having not won a league fixture since before Christmas.
But Shrewsbury remain just eight points adrift of the top six, with veteran midfielder Edwards claiming this can still be a special season if they find consistency in the coming weeks.
“We need to make sure we react now on Wednesday night,” he said. “Too many times this year we have had a really good game and followed it up with a really poor game.
“You look at Doncaster away, after Bristol City. We can’t let that happen. We can’t let the league games pass us by.
“This could be a really special season for Shrewsbury but I think a lot of it depends on what happens in this next month to six weeks.
“We can really put ourselves in a position to go and get towards those play-offs but if we don’t do it right the season can turn into a damp squib, which you don’t want.
“We know in there (the dressing room) we have got a good team and momentum. We have to go and capitalise on that now.”
Gillingham sit two places and two points ahead of Shrewsbury in the table.
Edwards added: “I do think our league position is a bit false in terms of where we are at.
“We are obviously improving on last season and I think we are going to finish the season strong.
“We have a few games in hand and hopefully we can climb our way back up to the play-offs.
“We are not a long way out of it and all it needs is to win two or three games on the bounce and we will be right back in the mix.”
Shrewsbury’s Cup hero was two-goal supersub Jason Cummings and the Scot shares the same belief as Edwards.
Town ‘Joker’ Cummings said: “He (Ricketts) has been brilliant, the boys have worked really hard and I’m surprised we’re not higher in the league as well.
“I’d say we’re underachieving as a team because we’re a good team with good players.
“We showed against the best team in the world – albeit they didn’t play some players but a couple came on – what we’re capable of, especially at home as well.
“I reckon we can definitely push for the top six. I don’t see why not.”
Cummings, who was sent on by Ricketts for Callum Lang just before the hour, ended the night with a crown on his head during the memorable Meadow celebrations.
Earlier in the week the former Nottingham Forest man made headlines for hijacking Edwards’ live interview on Sky Sports News in nothing but his underpants.
The 24-year-old striker added: “It was good banter. That’s what it’s all about, do you know what I mean?
“Every day enjoy yourself in training, you’ve got to lighten up the mood a wee bit, have good craic with the lads, a bit of banter.”
Cumming said on the trip to Anfield next week: “It’s quality, it’s the FA Cup, minus the Premier League it’s the biggest Cup in English football.
“Everybody wants to get their hands on it. We’ll go as far as we can. We’ll be going to Anfield looking to win the game. We take positives and will be going there confident.
“We’ve got to enjoy it as well, everybody always forgets to enjoy yourself, for me that’s the main thing.”
