Dave Edwards: Shrewsbury prove they can mix with best in League One
A point is a good return after an extremely difficult week, but perhaps given their excellent performances Steve Cotterill might be a touch disappointed Salop did not get more.
It has been a tough week for Town – I spoke last week about how hard those two long away trips would be on the body.
Any points out of those games would have been a massive plus because Town were really up against it.
If you look at the two performances and how the games went, they will probably be disappointed they only got one point having taken the lead in both.
In particular, the Plymouth one, coming away with nothing after a quality performance defensively and the chances they created in the first half. Matthew Pennington’s header was unlucky not to go in, and Rob Street should have done better with his header.
But to look reasonably comfortable against a team that has swept every side away at their home ground this year was a bonus, and Town were very competent.
They will be so disappointed with the manner of the equaliser, giving away possession in midfield, and then Marko Marosi, who has been incredible since he signed for Shrewsbury, will be annoyed that Niall Ennis’ shot managed to squeeze through him.
As soon as they get it, the atmosphere really ramps up, and it becomes a daunting task to keep them away from Salop’s goal. But what I am most pleased about from Shrewsbury’s perspective is despite the disappointing result at Plymouth they backed it up with an equally good performance against Portsmouth.
They limited the home team to very little, and they had to score a goal of real quality. It was a game where chances were at a premium, but they were well worthy of a point, and if they could have held on to that lead it would have been a real bonus.
I would have taken one point before the week, but after it, with the way they competed, Steve Cotterill may be a little disappointed.
Aiden O’Brien and Julien Dacosta will be gutted – it is horrible when you are coming back from injury, especially when you have been out for a while, but you can get these little niggles.
When you are getting back to full fitness it is really hard to replicate the intensity of what your body will go through during a game. Hopefully, they are just minor setbacks, but the manager saying they need to go for a scan is not great news.
It shows the team spirit at the club, with those performances and the knock back they got with two quality players missing.
The manager and the fans will probably look at the squad and be proud more than anything.
The team have come on so much in the last couple of years, the team spirit is tremendous, and I know it is something Cotterill really had to try and rectify from my time there.
When he came into the club, the changing room was not that well connected even though there were no bad lads in there, and the manager knows to be successful – you have to have those types of players in the changing room.
He has recruited really well, signing players with the right personalities and ambition – you can really start to see that coming through.
