Shrewsbury Town boss Steve Cotterill: We got what we deserved
Jubilant Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill revealed he was delighted to repay Town players and fans with a gloriously merry away day at Fleetwood.
The visitors ran wild on the Fylde Coast, where they powered to a mightily impressive 3-0 Boxing Day victory to move up to 18th in League One with a biggest league victory on the road for almost seven years.
On-fire top scorers Ryan Bowman and Daniel Udoh each netted in a rampant second half, the latter a thunderbolt, either side of Josh Vela's fine strike for a first away league win of the season at the 12th attempt.
And Cotterill was left to marvel at the unstoppable Udoh's ninth of the season, a rocket from outside the box that crashed in off the woodwork, hailed a 'world class' strike by the boss.
"Everybody talks about our away form but they forget about how we've done in some of these games," said Cotterill.
"We've deserved more on the road than we've actually got and today I thought we got exactly what we deserved, which was a comprehensive win away from home.
"I just thought we were good, it all clicked. I'm delighted for the players first and foremost - because they're the ones that go out there - and I'm delighted for our supporters that have travelled a long way. They were magnificent.
"I said at half-time I felt four more players - I won't name them - need to come to the party. I thought we had seven really good performances first half.
"The four were part of the jigsaw, if we could get them up another level in the second half I thought we could go on and win."
The 3-0 success, which featured a reasonably tight goalless first half between two lowly sides level on points, is Town's best league offering away from home since a 4-1 win at Morecambe in League Two in March 2015.
Cotterill praised the build-up for the Bowman and Vela goals, but could not help but wax lyrical on Udoh's piledriver.
"The other two goals were good but the trouble is then we're going to come to Dan Udoh's," he added. "It was absolutely unbelievable. What a strike!
"I thought he had a bit of a quieter game in the first half.
"But that - there isn't a goalkeeper out there that saves that. That is absolutely world class, and I mean that, it's a world class finish. That would grace any game."
Defender Aaron Pierre was not involved as Town wait on the outcome of his PCR test after a lateral flow showed up positive for Covid-19.
