Steve Cotterill hails Tom Bayliss' best Shrewsbury display

The 23-year-old got his first Town goal at the Meadow as his side overcame a two-goal deficit to get their first home league win of the season.

Bayliss signed in the summer from Preston North End and had a quiet start to life at Town, but recently he has put in some commanding performances for his side – first at Forest Green Rovers and then against Exeter.

“I think that was his best game for us,” boss Cotterill said about Bayliss’s contribution on Tuesday night. “I did think he was good last game.

“I did say at half-time that I think he could win us the game, but we have just got to get Bayliss doing all the mucky stuff.

“We all know how good of a footballer he is.

“He carries and glides with the ball, and he just looks majestic with the ball.

“He knows we have to make sure he does all the horrible stuff in the game as those would be the things that would be thrown at him over the years.

“Well, he has me on him every day about all of that stuff, but I am really pleased for him.”

The former Coventry man got an assist at Forest Green when he linked up brilliantly with Jordan Shipley to put his team-mate through on goal.

And he got his first goal for Town after Rekeil Pyke had hooked the ball into the box from a recycled corner. The ball fell to Bayliss, and he smashed it past Jamal Blackman.

It was a goal that brought Salop level, and Cotterill thinks with the chances they created in the second half, they deserved to win the game.

He said: “I think we created enough chances to get the win.

“We made sure we kept a clean sheet in the second half, and by doing that it enabled us to grow into the game. It was obviously going to come late after the start really. They started the game brighter than us and got their noses in front deservedly.

“At 2-0 down, we were right on the back foot, and we needed to get a quick goal back.

“It was a ding dong game, and they are a good team.

“We managed to get ourselves all square by half time thankfully.”