Steve Cotterill: Weekend off could give Shrewsbury a helping hand

Initially, I think Town will be slightly disappointed their game against Peterborough was postponed with the form they have been in.

They have been playing a game a week for some time now, so they had plenty of time to prepare for it.

But at the same time, with all the injuries the manager is dealing with, and with such a small squad, it might just be a nice period for them to take stock.

It gives all the boys who have been playing week in and week out a couple of extra days off allowing them to recover and relax before this next spell of games before they come thick and fast.

It gives the manager a bit of breathing room too.

He works hard on both sides of his job in terms of looking to the future, recruitment and the day-to-day aspects of games.

So for him not to have played that game on Saturday might have been another opportunity for the manager to look ahead to January.

With none of those injuries looking like they are going to come back anytime soon, they must bolster the squad in January with players who can impact that starting XI.

In truth, I do not think Shrewsbury look weak in any area.

They have many players who can adapt to different positions, but you would say wing-back is an area they may need to look at with Elliott Bennett and Julien Dacosta out on the right side and George Nurse out on the left.

I would like to see another midfielder come in, more to add depth and competition amongst the group, so the manager can make changes if he feels necessary, or he can rotate if they have a three-game week.

They look pretty solid at the back, and they have options with Luke Leahy and Taylor Moore, who can drop back into a back three if needed.

They have got a lot of strikers, but if they can get a forward player who scores a goal and is a poacher, especially if Saydee is doing well with the hold-up play, someone in the box who can get you that winning goal could be invaluable.

These players are very hard to come by in League One when you have the resources that Town have, so you need to get a bit lucky with a signing of that nature.

That would be huge for Shrewsbury.

So many points could have been gained by having someone who just gets that goal.

Even more so when you consider how competitive Shrews have been with the many tight games they have been involved in this season.

A couple of wins over this Christmas period could leave Shrews in such a good position heading into the New Year, but it is a tough period.

At a club like Shrewsbury, some of the lads may not live as close to the area and the commuting can be quite draining at this time of year when you’re trying to see family.

If results do not go their way, they could quite easily be dragged back into that pack of clubs just below them as this league is so congested.