Steve Cotterill: Shrewsbury players can hold their heads high
Steve Cotterill wants his Shrewsbury Town players to hold their heads high after going down in stoppage time at Sunderland.
Nathan Broadhead was credited with flicking in a late winner for the hosts in front of a crowd of almost 33,000 on Bank Holiday at the Stadium of Light.
It is the ninth time in 11 games under Alex Neil the Black Cats have struck inside the final 10 minutes and Cotterill's Town were the victims this time having mounted a stunning fightback after the break.
Josh Vela and Tom Flanagan struck fine goals - the latter just two-and-a-half months after swapping Wearside for Shropshire - to haul the visitors level at 2-2 after Sunderland had started in impressive style going two goals up in 13 minutes.
"It's difficult when you come to clubs of this size, when it gets back to 2-2, 30,000-odd here today can drive them on," said Cotterill.
"We made the game difficult in the first 20 minutes.
"The lads won't quite know the magnitude of their performance. All they will see today is the result, we lost 3-2.
"We all know and understand that's the important bit, but they won't know what they've used and how well they've done to come back from 2-0 down.
"There's a few lessons in there I suppose. I very rarely fault them and I can't today.
"Mix-ups in the box, 30,000 people here, do the lads hear him (Marosi) say 'keeper's'? Should he have said it, shouldn't he? It's irrelevant really.
"The boys will always make mistakes, but it's how costly they are. I'm disappointed for them today, not with them."
Town slipped a place to 17th in League One with defeat in the first of their Easter weekend double-headers, with the visit of lowly Doncaster - who are six points from safety with nine left to play for - on Monday.
Elliott Bennett was left in a protective boot after a first half injury.
Play-off hunting Sunderland tore out the blocks and Elliot Embleton's screamer had them ahead on four minutes.
Broadhead, on loan from Everton, made it 2-0 and it took Cotterill's men the best part of half hour to find their feet.
"We played well, especially in the second half, we were really good - and good after the first 20 minutes," the manager added.
"It took us 22 minutes to put our first passing movement together, 26 minutes before we played with any arrogance on the ball.
"That was the only bit that was disappointing for me and then the goal in injury time.
"They had a couple of opportunities at 2-2 with the overloads out wide, we thought if they crossed from deeper - which they actually did for the winner - we wouldn't concede, we're normally very good at that.
"There's a little mix-up, Marko (Marosi) shouted for it, I don't know if that put hesitancy between Tom (Flanagan) and Aaron (Pierre), but normally we'd mop those up.
"We're disappointed with the first 20 minutes and the end there. That's so cruel because we definitely deserved at least a point.
"I'm so disappointed for the lads because they gave so much today.
"We've got a long trip home now with no points in the skip."
