Back to business as Shrewsbury Town look to continue form at Crewe

The dust has settled on the Liverpool euphoria and a magical first half in Merseyside, despite an eventual 4-1 FA Cup exit, and Steve Cotterill’s men must switch their focus back to the league.

And Shrewsbury know just a second away win in League One this season – following on from their memorable previous effort at Fleetwood on Boxing Day – will push them on the coattails of rivals in the division’s top half.

At the same time condemning David Artell’s improving Crewe to defeat would deflate boosted survival hopes at the Alexandra Stadium, where tomorrow’s 22nd-placed hosts have won four of their last seven games.

Town’s top scorer and man of the moment Daniel Udoh is returning to his former stomping ground at Gresty Road and the club who gave him a first shot in the league.

As Udoh admitted at the start of his interview, Gresty Road is a long way from Anfield, but so is any stadium in League One. Now the hype of a thrilling Cup adventure is out of the way, the former AFC Telford striker, 25, knows Shrews can’t ‘take their foot off the gas’ as they look to extend a run of 10 points from a possible 12.

“It’s easier when you play a team like Liverpool at a stadium like Anfield to run on adrenaline,” said the Town striker, who netted last time out at Crewe in a season-ending 3-2 defeat last May, just days before he was offered a new deal.

“Now we’re back down to earth, focusing on our league. Gresty Road is nothing like Anfield, is it? So we focus on that and do the job as professionals.

“I’m not saying it to disrespect Crewe, nowhere in League One is (like) Anfield. Now we need to bring ourselves back down to earth, focus on our football and know what we need to do to get the job done.

“Don’t forget it was only two or three games ago we were in it (a relegation fight) as well, now it’s get away from the pack at the bottom as much as we can and look up.”

There is a lot of excited noise around Udoh at the moment after the tireless striker made it 10 goals for the season in front of a packed Anfield Road end. The forward, though, says it will not get to him.

“I try not to listen to it too much,” he said. “And luckily we’ve got a manager who I know always keeps us on our toes, he’s ready to bring you down if you ever feel high!

“Luckily he doesn’t have to worry about that with me. The process I’ve come through, I know how quick you can go back down.”

“I’ve played with players who played in the Premier League and had to go back to non-league, or have come from Chelsea or Arsenal on loan and the next thing you know they’re not playing football anymore.

“I know what it’s like on both sides. Yes there might be a bit of hype, but I want more for my football career, to see where I can get to.

“Hopefully a younger kid can see my career one day and go ‘I want to do that as well’.”

After taking more than 5,600 fans to Anfield, Town will be backed by 1,250 tomorrow after twice selling out their allocation. Gresty Road has been the scene of some memorable wins over the years.

Assistant boss Aaron Wilbraham, who was born in nearby Knutsford, said: “Ask any player, when you walk out and there’s a good home and away following, it creates that buzz you want.”

“For our lads to have that coming tomorrow, after last weekend, it’s a good thing and hopefully spurs our lads on.

“It’s unbelievable from the supporters, the lads still talk about Cheltenham away when they came out for the warm up and fans were already in the ground singing their names, they remember it being a special occasion.

“To sell out the Crewe away end is great from our supporters. As I’ve said before it definitely gives the lads a lift when they hear them chanting.”