Dave Edwards: Good to see Shrewsbury Town fly out the blocks
That is probably the best start Shrewsbury have made to a game all season.
It was great to see they were able to capitalise on the start with a really well worked goal. Cheltenham were overplaying in their own defensive third which allowed Town to press high up the pitch.
Luke Leahy did ever so well win the ball back and play in Dan Udoh who did what we all know he can do. He took a great first touch, unbalanced the defender with his second touch and found a good finish.
It was nice that it was in front of the away fans in well. It was an unbelievable travelling support.
It was a great start and Town looked like they would go on to dominate the game and then came the big turning point with Elliott Bennett’s handball on the line.
People will question why he has handballed it, but it’s such an instinctive thing when everything is happening so fast around you.
I’m sure in hindsight he’ll think that because there was so much of the game left that he didn’t need to do it. I would have still fancied us to go on and win the game even if they equalised at that moment.
It’s hard to understand exactly why Elliott did it, apart from that it is an instinctive reaction. I’ve done it before for Wolves, and I don’t know why I flicked my arm out.
As a footballer you try everything to stop a goal. However, it’s disappointing that the Cheltenham striker managed to get the shot off.
At the time there was eight Shrewsbury defenders in the box and you’d like to think that we’d be tight enough to win that first ball.
It was a huge turning point and the game plan was out the window. I felt sorry for Steve Cotterill as he’s been waiting for Town to come out of the blocks that quickly all season.
All of a sudden they’re trying to hold on to a draw and Cheltenham began to dominate. It was a matter of time before they got that second goal.
Before the international break they were building a little bit of momentum but that turning point sucks all of that momentum away.
When you’re down there that’s how things go and you have to dig deep. They now have two big home games with two big hitters coming to the Meadow, in Sunderland tonight and Charlton on Saturday.
Steve will know how important it is to try and get at least one win from those two games. We have seemed to play better against the better teams, so hopefully that can continue. It will be a really important few days.
The crowd will be really important tonight. Look at all the adversity the club is facing and you’ll also be missing Elliot Bennett, their only natural right wing-back.
Shaun Whalley is also out injured too. Coming into a period where there is so many games, it’s a hammer blow for the manager. I wish him a speedy recovery.
But out of adversity it might bring everyone together and hopefully they have a huge performance and a really good atmosphere tonight.
Everyone needs to stick together because if the results don’t go well in the next few weeks, you’re really looking down the barrel.
I’m sure they can grind out results. It’s not a case of looking pretty, points are more important.
A big plus for Shrewsbury is Josh Vela coming back into the team. He’s been a huge miss.
I think he’s the best player at the football club, so adding him back in is a massive positive for the manager moving forward.
