Salop Social: Shrewsbury Town need goalscorers

Steven Jones

A quick look at the goal stats shows where Shrewsbury ought to be targeting their recruitment this summer.

Their goals for record is pitiful and they are the joint-third lowest scorers in League One.

There are no doubts over the players’ endeavour, but at times it can be painful watching them going forward.

Things at the other end aren’t too bad at all. Town have the eighth best defensive record in the third tier, with 16 clean sheets in all competitions.

A reasonably solid defence but a limited attacking output has been a theme of all seven of Town’s seasons in League One over the last decade.

Grant Holt remains the last player to score more than 20 times in a single year for the club. That was back in the 2008/09 campaign.

Harry Chapman looks like he could fill that void, but Salop will face stiff competition for his signature.

A big summer of transfer activity awaits amid reports the manager will be given a more-than-competitive budget. Hopefully Steve Cotterill’s new recruits can help release the handbrake for Shrewsbury.

Chris Hudson

Whenever you go to a game, there’s always that one person sat near the back who has a voice like a foghorn, drowning out everyone else.

So it has been over the past week in the home games with Oxford and Ipswich. What was a little more surprising was that one voice was that of Town boss Steve Cotterill.

And wasn’t it a great sound!

The man has endured four months of hell, and it was so pleasing to see – and hear – him back doing what he loves the most.

Sensibly, he’s based himself in the directors’ box for now, but there was no mistaking who was in charge. His West Country twang echoed around the empty Montgomery Waters Meadow, barking out clear and simple instructions.

There was little riding on these games for Salop, but for the manager it was surely a landmark few days in his recovery.

Fingers crossed, he will be fully restored to full health by the start of pre-season training – ready to hit the ground running with a new-look squad and a renewed determination to succeed.

And hopefully, when the League programme starts in August, he will be restored to his rightful place on the touchline. Only this time, we hope there will be five or six thousand Salopians sat around him making it just a little bit harder for him to be heard!

Nathan Rowden

This season has felt enormously long for a number of reasons, but that was really brought home to me by the announcement of the end of season player awards.

As I scrolled through a list of players, seeing names such as Scott High and Marlon Fossey made me realise just how long this season had been.

The first game Season Ticket holders were allowed back for against Northampton just doesn’t feel like it was part of the 2020/21 season.

Is it because the performances have been markedly improved since Cotterill took over from Sam Ricketts and that the identity of the team has changed? Or has it been a case of Covid-19 and not being able to be at the games makes the first part of the season seem like a distant memory? My whole concept of time and football, as in other areas of life, has gone completely out the window.

Or perhaps it’s because I can’t say I’ve enjoyed this season that much. Following a side in an empty stadium on iFollow is, let’s be honest, rubbish. You do it purely to support the club financially, because in essence it just isn’t football.

The one positive to take from it all, is that Salop fans have every right to be optimistic about what a Steve Cotterill team can achieve next season, and I have every faith we will be gunning for one of those play-off spots next year, with the Blue and Amber faithful back to cheer them on.

Let’s close the book on 2020/2021, breathe a sigh of relief it ends at the weekend, and look forward to seeing each other and sharing a beer and a song again in August.