Dave Edwards: Shrewsbury will look to inject tempo into their displays
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for Shrewsbury results-wise.
The point at Morecambe is a good one and if you can back it up with a win at home then it’s an even better one.
I was there on Saturday and I think Town could have done a bit more to get those three points against Accrington.
There were key chances in the first half, Ryan Bowman had a couple including a key one he slipped wide. If you score there Accrington have to open up to equalise.
The longer the game went on it looked like a 0-0. Shrewsbury started the second half brightly, one of their best periods of the game, the new right wing-back Julien Dacosta looked the best attacking outlet.
But the game died down and the sending off for Tom Flanagan killed us, it took away any hopes of winning the game and then it’s looking for the draw. Then there’s the cruel blow of a late goal.
It was a super cross and super headed. Sometimes it can be just a very good goal, and it was.
The biggest thing the manager will be disappointed with is a bit of ill-discipline. I thought Marko Marosi was lucky as well – moreover it was Shrewsbury’s free-kick in the first place!
I feel a bit for Flanagan because Marosi started it, so should shoulder most of the blame. There didn’t look a great deal to be annoyed at.
Fans would have been desperate for players to drive the game forward. It felt like every time the ball went out it was very slow to get it back in.
The visitors were doing the same, so it never got any rhythm other than the start of that second half.
Town still had chances, but at home the manager will be expecting the team to play at a much higher tempo than what they did.
A club like Shrewsbury, with the resources they have got – we know they are one of the fittest teams in the league – they have got to impose that on teams and be physically better. Saturday felt like much of a muchness.
It’s still early on, with work to be done, Steve Cotterill will be desperate to get bodies through the door with key injuries to Elliott Bennett and Aiden O’Brien.
Because there looked similar problems to last year as the manager turned to the bench at 0-0 or 1-0 down. It was great to have a returning Dan Udoh come on, but other than that will many players come on and get you back in the game? Maybe Tom Bloxham, but I’m not 100 per cent sure.
Chey Dunkley was definitely the game’s standout performer.
He is just so aggressive with everything he does. You can see he just never switches off. He’s organising, you see the way he stands – he’s almost ready to pounce when the ball comes to the striker’s feet.
He must be a nightmare for a striker to play against. The Stanley No.9 did OK and put himself about but Chey was just far too powerful. I love that. He will score goals this season, with that desire to go and win the ball. He will win us games of football with his aerial prowess in both boxes.
