Shrewsbury 5-1 Cambridge - Report
Shrewsbury Town made it nine goals in two games as they trashed Cambridge United to climb up to 11th in League One.
Town ran riot at Montgomery Waters Meadow as they thumped the U's 5-1 on home turf on a freezing afternoon in Shropshire.
Luke Leahy gave Shrews the lead in the 33rd minute, converting his second penalty in two weeks and his seventh goal of the season after Matthew Pennington was fouled in the box by Paul Digby.
The hosts were much the better side in the opening 45 minutes, and their lead was doubled in stoppage time when Jordan Shipley smashed in a wonderful goal for his 5th of the season - a 25-yard screamer into the top corner.
The second half followed a similar pattern for Town, Pennington adding a third just before the hour mark when he met Leahy's corner.
Town would have been disappointed to let the U's get a goal back when Joe Ironside headed into the corner in the 69th minute, but their three-goal cushion was restored within two minutes when Christian Saydee scored a brilliant individual goal to make it four.
And Leahy added a fifth in stoppage time when he smashed into the top corner from the edge of the box in a perfect afternoon for Town.
ANALYSIS
Despite the freezing cold weather around the country, the Town ground staff once again did a brilliant job to get the match on, something they also did against Bolton, a game Town went on to win 3-2.
The Shrewsbury Town boss Cotterill named an unchanged side from the one that thrashed Burton Albion 4-0 a week ago.
Perhaps unsurprisingly after such a comfortable win, the boss opted to use the 3-5-2 formation with Carl Winchester playing at the base of midfield and Luke Leahy and Killian Phillips both playing as number eights.
They were seeking to get one over Cambridge after the U's got the better of Salop on Boxing Day, but the visitors had struggled in recent times sitting 21st in League One.
It was a quiet opening 20 minutes, the visitors having a few nice moments in the opening exchanges and forcing Chey Dunkley into two important interceptions.
Town began to find their feet without creating anything clear-cut, Rob Street headered over from a dangerous Luke Leahy cross, and on another occasion, Pennington got in a dangerous cross, but it was cleared away by Liam Bennett.
It was a fairly even contest with half chances at both ends, Marko Marosi parried away after Sam Smith's effort from distance, and Tom Flanagan saw an effort go wide of Will Mannion's post.
And in the 33rd minute, Town took the lead from the penalty spot, after lovely interplay between Taylor Moore, Pennington and Street.
Pennington was the man fouled by Paul Digby, which gave Luke Leahy the chance to get his 7th of the season which he did, sending Mannion the wrong way.
And the goal gave Town confidence as they began to dominate proceedings, Street and Jordan Shipley both having efforts to double to lead which were saved by Mannion.
On the stroke of half-time, Shrews doubled their lead with an outstanding individual goal by Shipley. The ball was cleared from a corner by the U's but only as far as Taylor Moore, who laid it to his right, and Shipley struck it first time into the top corner of the net. Town were full value of their two-goal lead at the break, with the visitors offering precious little.
The visitors did come out after the break with some energy, but all that was gone when Shrews added a third in the 57th minute.
Pennington getting a free header from Luke Leahy's corner, as he often does, being such a presence in the opposition's box.
The visitors did get one back when second-half substitute Joe Ironside, got in front of Pennington to head into the corner to offer the U's a glimmer of hope.
But the goals just kept on coming at the Meadow, and Shrews' three-goal advantage was soon restored, this time Saydee the man to net a brilliant individual goal.
Leahy played it over the top, and Saydee used pace and power to get in behind Jubril Okedina, he charged in on goal and sat down keeper Mannion, before firing past two U's defenders on the line.
And in stoppage time, the skipper got his second of the afternoon when he picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and riffled a shot into the top corner to top off another sensational win for Town.
