Analysis: Where is the next Shrewsbury win coming from?

The answer really needs to be next Saturday as relegation rivals Morecambe visit Montgomery Waters Meadow.

That clash of 18th versus 21st is certainly a must not lose for Steve Cotterill’s men, who are now without a victory in seven League One matches following their 1-0 defeat at Plymouth on Saturday.

Town have faced a number of drop zone rivals of late and managed nothing better than a draw. It has seen them fail to pull clear of the bottom four and if Morecambe come to Shropshire and claim the three points next weekend it will all-but obliterate Salop’s four-point safety buffer – not to mention games in hand for two sides below them.

Their last success was that enjoyable 1-0 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday in front of a bumper new year crowd on January 2.

It has been difficult going since.

The fixture directly after that success was the FA Cup tie at Anfield, where Town gave a good account of themselves and left with their heads held aloft despite defeat.

But the run of results to follow have not been up to the standard required.

Cotterill’s men have largely been solid, resolute and committed in that run of fixtures. It has been good for five draws but that return from a possible 21 points on offer has done little to alleviate Town’s lingering-yet-ever-increasing fears of being dragged into the depths of a real scrap.

The previous Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against struggling Fleetwood felt like a real opportunity missed – given the significantly better home form – and subsequent away games against progressive and promotion-hunting sides Wycombe and Plymouth yielded a single point.

But as well as Town have defended, and they have defended well – not least in last Tuesday’s goalless draw at Adams Park and for most of Saturday bar a single, fatal error – their attacking play has left a lot to be desired.

That Town do not score enough is nothing new. It has been an issue all season – a reminder it took until the fifth league game to register a goal this season.

But they appeared to have solved the problem around Christmas. Goals flew in at a rate of knots in games against Cheltenham and Fleetwood – which remains the sole away league win in 17 attempts. It felt like they had crocked the code.

The blank at Plymouth’s Home Park, a sixth in nine games, means Cotterill’s men have now managed just two goals in seven league games and three in nine – one of which was a Luke Leahy penalty and while the other one was defender Matt Pennington’s header back against the Owls.

Town’s 28 goals in 32 games, an average of 0.875 for the league season, has left fans frustrated by a turgid, lacklustre approach where their side seem to struggle to carve out the clear opportunities needed to put games to bed.

Daniel Udoh and Ryan Bowman scored regular goals at the back end of last year but those have now dried up and the lack of goals from other departments in the team is startling.

Pennington, Town’s last league match-winner, was his side’s biggest goal threat on Saturday and he is a centre-half. Shrewsbury cannot depend on his presence from a corner.

Not enough is coming from the middle of the pitch. Salop have badly missed Leahy and his creativity from midfield. Leahy is Town’s best technical player and his silly two-match ban served after 10 yellow cards was avoidable and costly.

Without Leahy in midfield the three becomes workmanlike and energetic but lacking in guile or the killer pass. Town’s delivery from wide areas at Plymouth was good but all too often Udoh and Bowman were easily beaten in the box and Josh Vela, the more advanced midfielder, could not make up the ground from the edge of the box.

With the scoreline locked at 0-0 in a rainy Devon in front of almost 14,500 fans including nearly 300 hardy travelling Salopians, Town looked on course for a fifth successive league draw for the first time in 13 years.

But Pilgrims left wing-back Conor Grant thrashed in a fine strike after the hour, it was a wonderful finish but avoidable as Vela and Elliott Bennett crossed wires led to a free strike from 20 yards.

Town tried to hit back, Tom Bloxham and Saikou Janneh were introduced and added a bit of exuberance, but they lacked conviction or belief an equaliser would follow.

It remains to be seen whether Cotterill will stick with his trusted 3-5-2 system or twist to the 4-3-3 – that has been used in patches of late – to try to get Town firing.

The team and club need the goals to ensure survival, and there will be no more crucial time than next weekend.