Bristol Rovers v Shrewsbury preview: Dave Edwards on hand to play important rallying role at Shrewsbury Town

Losing football matches hurts, but it is not life and death – and he made sure to share that with one teenager who took Tuesday’s last-gasp Tranmere defeat to heart.

“As just an example, Kayne Ramsay has played three Football League games and he came in this morning looking so disappointed,” said Edwards, 34.

“It’s losing a game of football but he’s young and got to learn the bigger picture. It’s speaking to people like Kayne and other young boys and making sure that, emotionally, they’re in the best possible place going into the next game.

“Don’t let it dwell for too long. As a young footballer, it is life and death, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not.

“You’ve got to move on to the next one as soon as possible.”

Edwards, the match-winning hero last weekend against Doncaster, revealed Sam Ricketts and his Shrewsbury staff were quick to ensure all negative emotion from Tuesday night’s desperate finale was squashed with an important trip to struggling Bristol Rovers tomorrow.

“As soon as you walk in the training ground yesterday morning, you have staff coming up to you saying ‘right forget about Tuesday, let’s get on to Saturday. We don’t want any moping around or feeling sorry for ourselves’,” said Edwards, who was sent sent off at the Memorial Stadium last season.

“There were some players in the dressing room who will feel responsible for different things which happened on Tuesday and it’s important as a group we don’t let that linger any longer than it needs to.

“We addressed it, looked at the game and where we went wrong, but we need to put it to bed as soon as possible and concentrate on Bristol Rovers to give it the full 100 per cent commitment it needs.”

Rovers, who lost boss and former Town captain Graham Coughlan to lower league Mansfield Town in December, have struggled for form ever since.

Under new boss Ben Garner, a former West Brom coach and assistant in his first senior management role, results have been sketchy. The Gas have won just once in 16 in all competitions.

During a fine run of form under Coughlan, Rovers – who have former Town skipper Abu Ogogo suspended tomorrow – were pushing for the League One automatic promotion places.

That run included an action-packed 4-3 win at Montgomery Waters Meadow, where Ogogo scored a dramatic winner as the former player curse struck.

But they have fallen from the pace and are now 13th, just four points better off than Salop.

Ricketts said: “It’s hard when their team were doing so well and the manager went for whatever reason. I don’t know whether you just lose your mojo or momentum.

“But how they were doing earlier in the season shows what they are capable of.”

Shrewsbury will play just the third match on a leap year in their Football League history (1950-present) tomorrow.

Previous February 29 clashes both came at Gay Meadow and both finished 1-0 to the visitors – Leyton Orient in 1992 and Bristol Rovers in 1964.

Town full-back Scott Golbourne turns 32 tomorrow and will celebrate his leap year birthday in his home city against the direct local rivals of the Bristol club of whom he has been a lifelong fan.