Dave Edwards: Formation tweak could be useful for Shrewsbury games to come
It was a brilliant win for Town and one I think they deserved after some good recent performances against top sides.
To back up the Bristol Rovers draw with a win at Forest Green makes it all worth while.
An away day with two goals and a clean sheet is just about perfect for Steve Cotterill and his men.
There have been games where they have had to be resolute and dig in, but there was a lot more freedom in this performance.
There was a change of shape to a back four with Julien Dacosta out. It helped from an attacking sense and they kept a clean sheet.
I don’t think Forest Green will be far outside the bottom four if they do survive, so it was a game Town were expected to win and the change helped them.
It gave Town more options high up the pitch with bodies closer together. That was on show for the goals, movement and interplay in the final third.
From my experience under the manager at Shrewsbury; that goal was something that Cotterill was working on – getting the ball out wide and then into the box for runners.
The second goal was excellent. Nurse’s pass and the link-up between Bayliss and Shipley showed what Town are capable of.
I wrote about this run of games where they can stamp authority on their league position and it’s the perfect start. Everyone will be confident now.
Everyone was so excited by Shipley’s signing and it’s been a tough start. He’s not played poorly but struggled to make as much an impact as he’d have liked.
We see him come into his own now. He’s very athletic with a lot of quality and his involvement in both goals was great.
It looks like a nice blend moving forward. Maybe against mid-table sides, or when at home, you can go to a back four. The option of 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 can really go at rivals.
Every at the club will be delighted for Rekeil Pyke with that opening goal. He’s such a nice guy, honest and works his socks off. It’s just not happened for him yet and he’s now in the third year of his contract.
He hasn’t played a lot, filled in at wing-back. He had a bad injury when he arrived and it hampered his progression. Steve Cotterill has seen something in training and Riki is starting to repay him. It’s great he’s got the chance to play League One football.
It was a busy deadline day at the Meadow. Everyone expected a striker but, after the sad injury news for Dan Udoh, you can see why Cotterill needed another two in up front.
Rob Street and Christian Saydee are two young lads from the Premier League who haven’t had great loans before, but that doesn’t matter – look at Harry Kane or a Dan James at Salop!
It is a calculated punt or risk taking these lads. I think the manager’s happy with his other forwards. I hope these new boys do really well and aren’t bit-part players who stand in the way of Bloxham and Caton’s development. You want home-grown boys doing well.
Dan had his best season last year. I’ve written loads on his hard work and attitude to football, every day in training.
I’m still adamant he’ll kick on and be a Championship striker – or better. It’s a small blip in a long career. He’ll be frustrated but players can come back from ACL injuries, the big thing for Dan is he’ll be positive – and that’s half the battle coming back from that injury.
