Aaron Wilbraham: Shrewsbury win was for Steve Cotterill

Town mathematically secured their third tier status for next season with four games to spare by earning three points with a fine 1-0 victory at promotion-chasing Blackpool on Saturday.

Loan defender Matthew Pennington was the goal hero, netting his first goal for the club eight minutes after the break as Cotterill's resilient visitors defended superbly to secure the victory and climb to 16th, with 53 points.

The mammoth effort, which includes almost four months since Cotterill last managed Town in person, was hailed as a real team effort from assistant boss Wilbraham, who also admitted all of Shrewsbury's staff and players were so desperate to seal safety for their recovering manager.

Wilbraham said: "It's a massive team effort from everybody. We've been in such strange, bizarre circumstances that we never expected to find ourselves in.

"The way the players and all the staff have dealt with it has been unbelievable. We just wanted it because we knew how upset and frustrated the manager would be in his position and we wanted to repay the faith he'd put in us by getting the job done.

"But don't forget the gaffer's part of it as well, even though he's not been here in, in stature he's always been there, the whole way through."

Town still have four games of the League One season left, three at Montgomery Waters Meadow, starting with the visit of promotion-chasing Lincoln tomorrow evening.

While Shrews' position is mathematically secured, the No.2 sent a warning note that Town are still determined to take maximum points from the final 12 available.

He added: "Even when I was off (around Christmas), I had to isolate, the gaffer said how much we missed being a man down.

"It'd be hard for any team without the manager, the detail he's given which I've mentioned a thousand times, he has just been working as hard as he can in the position he's been in - probably too hard, probably harder than he wanted to at times, but it's a real team effort.

"We still want to finish the season strongly. There are four games to go against some difficult teams.

"I'll probably get to the end of the season and then look back at it (and reflect). At the moment we're so enthralled within it all, I don't really want to start speaking that way yet.

"But yes I am proud, obviously, of the job we've all done. I'm really pleased that we're mathematically safe, it's a great achievement."