Steve Cotterill: Lack of sharpness costs Shrewsbury in Barnsley defeat

Adam Phillips' 10th minute strike was the difference in the game - as Salop, despite having spells of pressure, couldn't find that piece of quality to unlock the Tykes.

Ryan Bowman came closest for Salop as he was inches from connecting with a Taylor Moore across - but Cotterill insisted his side's Wednesday clash with Oxford and Barnsley's free week showed with his player's lack of sharpness at the Montgomery Waters Meadow.

He said: "We lost the game in the first half probably.

"We were not sharp enough which is understandable considering the week we have had, compared to the week they have had.

"They had a complete week, and we ad Wednesday night and we lost the game on sharpness.

"We were not good enough to win - but we didn't deserve to get beat.

"We had near misses at times, but it was sharpness, nothing else.

"I bet we out run them today, I bet we had more possession. They had a couple on target and we had one and that was the difference.

"But it was sharpness, that is what happens when you have three games in a week, and we have been the victim of Oxford changing a game and putting it back, and we don't get any time to prepare.

"They are a team coming down from the Championship and with a budget the size of ours we have got to take them on, and we did that as manfully as we could have done."

Elliott Bennett was absent from the matchday squad having gone off with an injury in the midweek draw with Oxford.

And Cotterill revealed he could be facing a sustained period on the sidelines with a calf injury.

He said: "He has damaged the other leg, not the one with the ankle injury, when he jumped on the far side on Wednesday and it came from there.

"He played on longer than he probably should have done perhaps.

"No doubt he will have a sustained period out now with a calf injury."