Shrewsbury v Bolton - Match preview
Shrewsbury Town will be looking to make it three wins on the spin at Montgomery Waters Meadow when they welcome Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Recent results have finally given some Shrewsbury Town some reward for the performances they have been putting in. Wins against Peterborough in the FA Cup, and Lincoln City in League One over the last two weekends mean they have something tangible to show for their efforts.
But Steve Cotterill insisted they must keep putting the hard yards in, urging his players to be consistent and warning them results could change if they fail to do this.
He said: “We need to make sure we keep our performance levels up because if we don’t – the wins won’t continue.
“The performances have been really, really, good.
“If you look at some of the chances we have missed in games when it’s been all-square and we haven’t won – it’s been a real disappointment – for the players as well because they are all-in every week.”
Things have seemingly come together for Salop in the last couple of weeks.
They have kept that robustness at the back that has served them very well this season, but have managed to add goals to their game – with Tom Bayliss and Luke Leahy scoring in the last two games.
Both of the goals have been similar, Leahy twice netting from the penalty spot, and Bayliss finishing two very good Jordan Shipley crosses.
Speaking before the clash, the boss gave a positive update on Julien Dacosta, who he said was in a ‘very good place’ after surgery on an injury to his hip flexor.
The Christmas period is almost here, and any reinforcements Cotterill can get will be a boost.
The boss is currently working with 13 senior players and some inexperienced younger pros.
The opponents this weekend again bring another challenge for Cotterill, they sit fifth in the table.
Their captain, Ricardo Santos, is likely to be doubtful for the game after he received hospital treatment for breathing difficulties after catching a virus.
Cotterill, who was seriously ill after catching Covid early in his Salop tenure, wished the defender well during his recovery.
He said: “I just want to say a quick message to Ricardo Santos, who I saw has been in hospital.
“It reminded me of my Covid scenario, him having shortness of breath and being on oxygen.
“Our best wishes come from myself and everyone at our football club to him and we hope that he is well.
“In the meantime, we are looking forward to the game.”
Bolton did the double of Shrewsbury last campaign, so Shrews will be out to put that right this time around.
They won 2-1 at the University of Bolton Stadium, and in the return fixture, they won 1-0 at the Meadow.
