Steve Cotterill set to shuffle Shrewsbury pack
Steve Cotterill conceded he will have to shuffle his Shrewsbury pack for tomorrow's visit of Sunderland as injuries and suspension bite.
Town went down on the road at Cotterill's former club Cheltenham on Saturday, as the Robins took advantage of an Elliott Bennett red card to come from behind and win 2-1.
Daniel Udoh had given Shrewsbury a deserved early lead, but the experienced Bennett was dismissed midway through the first half for blocking a shot with his hand on the goalline. The Robins netted the resulting penalty and Kyle Joseph tapped in a second-half winner against 10 men.
Bennett will serve a one-match ban against the Black Cats tomorrow, while a huge blow for Shrewsbury sees Shaun Whalley ruled out for up to four months with a thigh injury sustained in training.
"It doesn't get any easier, but that's where we are, you know? It is what it is. We just get on with it," Cotterill said.
"I think it will be one game with El (Bennett). We'll have a look and see where, it might be a case of putting a square peg in a round hole and trying to get the best out of the rest of the team.
"They (games) are demanding. But what we've got to do now is rest and recuperate, get those boys back into the training ground, look after them, and hopefully they'll be ready to go again tomorrow night."
Cotterill is without natural options to play at right wing-back or right-back, with Josh Daniels nursing an ankle problem.
On Saturday at Jonny-Rocks Stadium it was Cotterill's former defender Michael Duff, now in charge of the Robins, who got one over his old boss.
Duff, who in his first management job has guided Cheltenham to an impressive 11th in League One, feels his old boss Cotterill and Shrewsbury will be able to climb away from 21st and the drop zone if they continue recent form and are able to play as they did in the opening 20 minutes.
Former Burnley and Northern Ireland stopper Duff said: "If they play like they did for the first 20 minutes then they'll be fine.
"I think the results in the last three or four weeks probably tell you that (they can climb the table), and the performance in the first 20 minutes, they'll take positives from that.
"Because 11 v 11 they were better than us, there's no doubt about that."
