Steve Cotterill pleased with Shrewsbury improvements
Shrewsbury chief Steve Cotterill was pleased to see his side right some of the wrongs from last week's defeat at MK Dons in the late draw against Ipswich.
Town icon Shaun Whalley was the hero on the latest occasion in his glittering Salop career with a stunning dipping strike that lobbed giant goalkeeper Christian Walton to cancel out Ipswich's 1-0 lead six minutes from time after Cameron Burgess had been dismissed for the Suffolk side.
The goal was a perfect moment for Whalley to celebrate with his adoring Shrewsbury faithful after a wretched season personally. His third goal of the season - and first for almost six months - was Town's only effort on target on a strange afternoon where both sides struggled for tempo and rhythm in parts. Shrewsbury remain 16th in League One after a share of the spoils.
Tractor Boys striker James Norwood had given the visitors a fourth-minute lead in front of their sold-out away end before the game took an unusual turn with a break of more than 10 minutes due to an injury to assistant referee David Hunt. Town rallied after the break and made the man advantage count after Burgess' brainless second yellow card.
"I wouldn't say happy with it, we would've wanted to win it but we've got to remember we're up against Ipswich Town, not some old team from down the who we expect to beat," said Cotterill, whose side's three-game winning run was ended with the 2-0 defeat at Stadium MK seven days prior.
"I thought our lads worked really hard, did some things so well that we didn't do at MK Dons last week.
"I'm pleased with a point in the end, because you always are when it ends up an equaliser."
The manager added: "The first five minutes weren't very good.
"But after that it was an even first half, the first five minutes they were excellent, played with a good tempo and deservedly took the lead.
"It took the wind out of our sails a little bit, we got our way back into the game, it was important we didn't concede another before half-time, that would've been game done.
"In the second half we'd changed shape slightly, we couldn't get enough pressure on the ball, we made a change, Shaun's very good at landing on second balls.
"A few times we'd played it forward too long too early, we didn't need to, but Shaun can land on second balls and thankfully he landed on that one, it was a great finish.
"There's certain risks with some of the pressing we do, sometimes you get it right and sometimes wrong.
"But the rules we have in that they got it right today, sometimes you get it right, because of the size of the pitch out there."
Whalley's swerving, looping strike was a fitting moment and a sight to savour as he tore away to celebrate gleefully with the Town fans. The No.7 has now netted quality strikes home and away against the Tractor Boys this term.
Cotterill added: "Shaun's landed on those second balls throughout his career, I hoped he would do what he ended up doing, credit to him. The finish was fantastic, there won't be too many better goals than that this weekend."
On Burgess' dismissal, a late challenge on goalkeeper Marko Marosi which helped swing the finale in his side's favour, the boss said: "I see it as a silly tackle, he's already on a yellow.
"At the end of the day you don't go diving in like that. He's a left-sided centre-back, in our six-yard box doing that, I'm not sure he had to go and do that.
"All he had to do was go and get a block on Marko Marosi."
