Steve Cotterill happy with effort of his hardworking Shrewsbury Town side

Town head to struggling AFC Wimbledon tomorrow without a win in three League One games after stalemates at struggling Crewe and Gillingham either side of last weekend’s last-gasp home defeat to Bolton.

The run of one point from a possible nine has is amid Town keeping five league clean sheets in six – the only omission Dion Charles’ screamer last week. But, on the flip side, Shrewsbury’s goals scored in the league has dried up – Cotterill’s men have managed just one goal in five games including three goalless draws.

The 0-0 at Gillingham on Tuesday was an uninspiring 90 minutes but Cotterill believes that was a result of the physical and direct nature at Priestfield. He feels his side are due some fortune in the opposition’s box.

When asked what he wanted to see at the Dons’ new Plough Lane home on Town’s first trip, the boss said: “Pretty much the same that they’ve given even over the last couple of games where we haven’t won. (I want) pretty much the same.

“What will happen is some of those chances may go in for us, but we’ve still got to work hard at those chances.

“The game the other night was a completely different game. The contrasting styles that you come up against in this league, from Saturday to Tuesday to Saturday, is what makes it such a difficult league.

“You’ve got to be able to deal with all sorts. The other night had to be a different performance.

“But pretty much more of the same from our guys, and hopefully that little bit of luck in front of goal that I don’t think we’ve had, or that block doesn’t happen and we get a shot off through someone’s legs and in.

“Those type of things I’d like to see change for the boys, not any of their performances – OK a couple were up and down the other night – but I think that was more about the game than anything else. Just maybe a little bit of luck for the lads, that’s what I hope changes.”

Wimbledon, who are 20th in League One and without a win in eight under former academy manager and first-team coach Mark Robinson, holds a special place in Cotterill’s heart.

Striker Cotterill was bought by the first division ‘Crazy Gang’ from non-league Burton in 1989, just a few months after Bobby Gould’s men had shocked champions Liverpool to win the FA Cup.

He scored seven times in 24 games for the then top flight Dons. His final season at Plough Lane coincided with the inaugural season of the Premier League, in which Cotterill scored three goals in seven games for Wimbledon, who by that stage where ground-sharing with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park

“From being in non-league to go there, it was a big move for me,” he said. “It will always be part of my life and a great learning curve, playing under some good managers, Bobby Gould took me there and his assistant was Don Howe, who was also (England) No.2 to Terry Venables.”

The former Wimbledon club dissolved in June 2004 and became Milton Keynes Dons after moving to play in the city.

AFC Wimbledon had already launched, in 2002, and are still owned by a Dons supporters trustee. They began in the ninth tier of England football and subsequently won six promotions in 13 years and are currently in their sixth season in the third tier – a story Cotterill likened to that of the Crazy Gang’s rise, Wimbledon having climbed from the Southern Premier to the First Division between 1976 and 1986.

He said: “I’m just really pleased for the club, that they managed to get back to some sort of normality in league football after the way they had to go down through the pyramid.

“It’s an unbelievable story for them coming back. Lots of managers along the way have helped them, and people in the background, they’ve done a great job from being such a small club years ago.

“They’ve almost had another success story, it’s almost like part two. People like Neal Ardley having been in charge of Wimbledon for a long time through those good periods.

“And now they’ve got Mark there who I think is doing a fantastic job, I really like him, I met him last time and had a chat after the game (in September), I think it’s a great job he’s done.”