Elliott Bennett: Shrewsbury full of belief

Bennett, who scored his first league goal for the club in Saturday’s 3-0 win at leaders Rotherham, feels back-to-back 5-0 and 3-0 wins are a result in improved performances over the last couple of months.

Steve Cotterill’s side had, at times, been playing well in fixtures but missed chances to claim maximum spoils and climb up the League One table.

Asked what has been the one major factor behind improved performances, experienced wing-back Bennett said: “I just think it’s the belief in each other and what we’re doing.

“I feel out on the pitch now we’ve got people that maybe wouldn’t have spoke too much before, but there’s leaders everywhere now.

“Flano’s (Tom Flanagan) come in, I don’t know if you can hear him from the stands, but he doesn’t shut up.

“You’ve got Ethan (Ebanks-Landell), so many people, Luke (Leahy) is speaking to everyone, their players, the referee, people in the stands!

“We’ve got leaders, that team spirit, something’s just clicked with us. We believe in each other. It’s nice to be a part of and great when you’re on a good run of form.

“Performances have been really good and I think the more you perform well you will get the result.”

Boss Cotterill explained after the impressive win in South Yorkshire that his side is now full of leaders, having inherited a group low on that characteristic 16 months ago.

“Everyone was buzzing, the gaffer was buzzing too, he drives and demands standards, he wants us to win every game,” Bennett said of the mood after Town chalked up their best win of the season against the Millers.

“We went to Liverpool and he wanted us to win, expected us to put on a performance! It didn’t quite happen.

“The manager also enjoys when we win, but he doesn’t want us to get too high because if you do that you take your eye off the ball and foot off the gas and find yourself on the end of a bad result.”

Town are joint-fifth in the League One clean sheet stakes after back-to-back shutouts made it 13 from 39 games this season for goalkeeper Marko Marosi.

For context, the team did not manage a first clean sheet of the season until the middle of October.

Bennett said: “The boys have been outstanding at the back.

“Flano, Penno, Ethan head everything. I’m closer to Penno, with him playing directly behind me, I said to him in the shower I’d go to the trenches with him because he’d put his head where other people don’t want to put their feet! He’s solid as a rock back there.

“The lads did what they had to do against tough opposition and they’ve been doing it very often recently.”