Steve Cotterill praises Shrewsbury's 'band of brothers' defence

Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Rotherham saw Town record their eighth clean sheet in the last 13 League One matches and they have conceded only seven goals in a run which dates back to Boxing Day.

Cotterill’s men boast the joint third-best defensive record in the division and the boss believes familiarity and camaraderie between players has played a big part in the improvement from the first half of the season.

He said: “I think it comes down to habit, the training ground, their willingness to work for each other. All of those things.

“When new players come in at the start of the season it takes a while for a dressing room to settle down.

“Until I have been in the trenches with you for six months, you are not quite my mate yet.

“But once I get to know you, get to like you and have banter with you and sit next to you every day, I am always prepared to go the extra yard.

“That is what happens, in a nutshell. When things settle down you are prepared to go the extra yard for your mate. As the season has gone on the dressing room has got even closer. All those things help.

“That is a credit to the boys from last year accepting them and the boys coming in, buying in to how they have been. It is always difficult when you bring 50 per cent of a team in, which is basically what happens.”

Frustratingly for Cotterill, the miserly defensive record has not translated into a glut of wins. Town have won only three times in the league since Christmas, with their struggles to score at the other end resulting in seven draws which have left them rooted in the bottom half of the table, still not entirely safe from trouble.

The boss, who once more watched his team impress against leaders Rotherham without getting full reward, believes they have largely been starved of fortune this term.

He said: “You can never guarantee results. We played fantastically the other night (against Rotherham) and didn’t win. We have played equally as well as the other night and got beat. It was the same against Bolton.

“No-one speaks about the Bolton game but they do about Rotherham. I don’t think we’ve had the rub of the green if I am brutally honest, at any part of this season.

“Maybe the last quarter of the season will be our lucky quarter. Let’s hope so.”

Full-back George Nurse, who joined Town last summer from Bristol City, was yesterday voted the club’s player of the month for February following an online supporter poll.

Cotterill said: “I think he could have won it for next month if his shot had gone in the other night against Rotherham.

“But he’s done very well, George. As I have said before I think he will be a very good signing for the club. He is at a good age. He deserves the award. There are quite a few players who would have deserved it based on their performances. I am sure it was a tough one for the supporters.

“We haven’t been unhappy, even though the results have not gone as we would want.

“We’ve had a lot of difficult fixtures. Obviously if results go your way, you are happier.”