Steve Cotterill: I can't speak highly enough of Shrewsbury Town players
Delighted boss Steve Cotterill admitted he could not speak highly enough of Shrewsbury Town's players after they claimed another stunning win at Lincoln City.
Shaun Whalley’s fourth goal of the season was enough to earn a 1-0 win over the Imps, who had entered the match sitting second in the League One table.
Victory came just four days after Cotterill’s men had beaten leaders Hull by the same scoreline and after winning just one of their opening 15 matches, Town now host Sunderland on Saturday targeting a third straight win.
Cotterill was delighted by the work-rate and defensive discipline showed by his players as they also made it back-to-back clean sheets
He said: “We have just played first and second in the table. You take everything into consideration - the travelling too - it is a real grind.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the players. They have been excellent since I walked in the door.
“They didn’t put a foot wrong, any of them. The good thing about it is they all know what to do, whether the ball is in the final third, the middle third or the defensive third.
“We knew we would have to be organised. We knew there would be a fair chunk of the game where we wouldn’t have the ball.
“They have some good players, they are together and they weren’t second in the table for nothing. It was an incredibly difficult game for us.
“We have a really tough month. When you look at the games we have had, Accrington were one of the form teams, then we played Charlton, Hull and Lincoln.
“It doesn’t get any easier playing Sunderland on Saturday. Anytime you play those teams it is going to be tough. To have them back-to-back is great testimony to our boys and the work we have put in, not just in the games but the training ground.
“Lincoln probably put us under more sustained pressure than Hull.”
Shrewsbury have now claimed eight points from four matches since Cotterill replaced Sam Ricketts in the hotseat and are just one point from safety.
The Imps had inflicted the only defeat so far of his reign when they dumped Town out of the Football League Trophy a week previously.
But Shrewsbury claimed a swift revenge thanks to Whalley, who pounced on a defensive mistake by defender Lewis Montsma.
“I don’t know what was going through his mind but it was a real composed finish,” said Cotterill.
“We had all sorts of ideas. He could chip him, take it round him. He ended up rolling it along the floor and it was a really great finish for him.”
“The strikers are so willing, they are so selfless. I can’t thank highly enough for what they do for the team and I am so pleased when they score.
“I was really pleased for Shaun to get his goal and we just need Dan Udoh to nick one now.
“The midfield three all know their jobs and the strikers, when they win it, they know how to counter-attack. We have worked hard on the training ground and I can’t give them enough credit for how they have been.”
