Dave Edwards: Step too far for Shrewsbury against my champions tip
Shrewsbury have had two really tough home games in the last week and it was a big ask for them to take on a strong Ipswich side.
Against Derby they did so well. Defensively it was a masterclass and they still offered something on the counter-attack too, which was good.
Steve Cotterill has a small squad to choose from and he will want bodies through the door. From what he had available, to get a draw against Derby and the work-rate and discipline they showed, it was an excellent display.
But off the back of that, with limited recovery time, they then had to go into the toughest game of the season.
I think Ipswich will win the league this season. The manager Kieran McKenna has got the budget to bring in top players and his style of football sees them dominate in every aspect.
It was a huge ask for Shrewsbury to put in so much effort on Tuesday against Derby and then, with the same group of players, put in a performance of equal stature against Ipswich.
I think the fans understand that Town will not play a better team at the Meadow again this season. It wasn’t the greatest of games and we got totally outclassed, but you have to hold your hands up and say the games coming up will be more important to pick up points this season.
In a game like that you have to stay at 0-0 as long as possible and the one thing the manager will be disappointed with is the fashion they conceded the first goal.
Luke Leahy gave possession away cheaply in midfield and Chey Dunkley dived in as the striker went past him. It was a really easy goal.
If you keep it 0-0 for longer you will have opportunities as they get nervous later in the game.
You don’t want to give points away in the league, but maybe they should have rotated more and put in some more squad players to freshen it up and bring more energy.
My message to the Shrewsbury fans is not to be too disheartened with the result and performance against Ipswich because there won’t be many teams that pick up results against them this year.
Town need depth. They need another striker, midfielder and perhaps another option at left-wing-back as well.
They look pretty good at centre-back with some good options, while they’ve been unlucky with injuries to Elliott Bennett and Aiden O’Brien. Ryan Bowman has just come back to fitness while Dan Udoh is still trying to find his feet, so there is also things going against Steve Cotterill.
But as the league goes on you will get injuries and suspensions, which is why the manager is hoping to have more options.
If the same players have to go again against Burnley and then again at Bristol Rovers – they’re already playing at 70 or 80 per cent, so that’s very hard to do.
The effort they have to put in to get results is huge, and then recover and do that consistently, is a huge ask. The manager will definitely try to address that.
Against Burnley tonight, do you stick or twist? It’s so difficult and there’s a chance of a cup run.
Burnley aren’t in great form but are playing some exceptional football. It will be another tough ask for Town, but do you go for it and try and cause an upset? They are definitely capable of it.
