Bolton v Shrewsbury Town: Elliott Bennett backing Town to tackle league’s big boys
Elliott Bennett has called on his Shrewsbury Town team-mates to embrace the sizeable challenges ahead of them in League One.
Steve Cotterill’s Town head to Bolton Wanderers tomorrow as a run of glamorous away trips to high-profile hosts continues.
Bolton – promoted from League Two last season after a financial plight had seen them plummet down the pyramid – are the latest of several former Premier League arenas to welcome Salop this term, after Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday, with Ipswich to come a week tomorrow.
The challenges, certainly on paper, get no easier. But Town as a club and team often thrive with the underdog tag when expectation is heaped on the opposition. The point at Hillsborough a fortnight ago a prime example of that.
Town vice-captain Bennett, the high profile summer recruit who returned to his home county Shropshire to join Shrewsbury, has faced Bolton on a number of occasions with Norwich and previous club Blackburn.
And he said: “You’ve got to play them at some point, it doesn’t really matter when.
“I think we showed going to Sheffield Wednesday, arguably one of the biggest clubs in this division, and after the first 30 minutes I think we were by far the better team.
“For me, I’m a little bit older than some of the lads, you’ve got to enjoy the moments, playing at some of these crowds, the crowd, fans, size of the clubs.
“At the end of the day, they’re in the same division as us, they’ve got 11 players, the same as us, embrace it, enjoy it and challenge yourself to play so-called top teams.”
Bennett pointed to examples as recently as last season, shortly after Cotterill appointment just before Christmas, as to reasons to be encouraged.
The 32-year-old Telford boy added: “Watching from afar last year, while Chappy (Harry Chapman) was on loan, there were some unbelievable results where nobody was giving the club a chance.
“There was the win at Hull, who went and got promoted. It’s a game of football and we’ve got to go and give the best version of us.
“You can have a good performance but it kind of goes to waste if you get beat. I wouldn’t mind playing stinking tomorrow if we come away there with a 1-0 win!”
Town were backed by good numbers in a rare trip to Wednesday and the same is likely for tomorrow and Ipswich next week.
The right wing-back said: “I played them with Norwich as well actually, in the Premier League, we won that day, that’s not bad is it? I’ve played there a few times, a lovely stadium, they’ve had their troubles but seem like they’re back on the right path – and hopefully we can take them off that path on Saturday.
“We’ve got to embrace it. What better way to challenge yourself as a player, as a football club? The fans going to these former Premier League teams who you might used to only go to in the FA Cup or League Cup once in a blue moon.”
