Dave Edwards: Hard work pays dividends in Shrewsbury's late victories

For fans who witnessed both, down at MK Dons in midweek and at the Meadow on Saturday, they will feel very fortunate.

They are in such a good place, and without repeating myself too much, I feel they have deserved this after a couple of difficult spells.

When you are a team that is scoring late goals that usually coincides with a belief and a team spirit where players never give up and are always working for each other.

There is belief in the stadium as well that they can go and turn it around in what was not a pretty game.

It was the third game in a week for Town, and maybe they did look a little bit leggy, but it has been so important the manager has had a better squad to choose from in recent weeks and having more options from the bench was key on Saturday. Earlier on in the season the manager might make one substitution, possibly two, simply due to the injuries, but to be able to make five changes with players who do not weaken the XI and offer something different, that is what wins games of football like it did on Saturday.

Having fresh legs and fresh ideas coming on and making a difference is huge, and that will be huge for the rest of the season too. Shrewsbury are in a great place, and I am anticipating more wins for the Town over the coming weeks and months.

It had been quite a while since both Ryan Bowman and Rekeil Pyke had been on the scoresheet, for them to both come on and take the goals the way they did was really impressive.

Pyke, who has been out in the cold a little in the past, has forced his way back into the team this season playing numerous positions, I was delighted for him with the way he took his goal. The calmness of the touch and the composure of the finish, a lot of people at that stage of the game will try and put their laces through it, but it was a controlled finish.

I feel the legs of Killian Phillips have added a different dimension to the Shrewsbury team, he played in Bowman, and at that stage of the game when emotions are running, to be able to finish as coolly as he did, that was terrific for him.

Both would have been frustrated by their lack of game-time in recent weeks, but if they can come on a make a difference then that is good.

I read Steve Cotterill’s post-match interview and when he said it was the boys who had come off who were celebrating at the end, shows everyone wants each other to do well. It sounds like an easy thing to try to create, but trust me it is not. They are taking advantage of that, I am delighted the substitutions can come on and make an impact like that.

The back five and the holding midfielders were very very solid at the start of the season, they lost their way a little bit, by conceding two goals on a few occasions.

But now they have got back to that really tight-knit, hard-to-play-against unit, and it took a wonderful goal from Forest Green to break the deadlock on Saturday.

The manager would say ‘zeros’ and ‘ones’ that is what will get you points. So either keeping a clean sheet or just letting in one but absolutely no more, that is the platform you build from, and they have got back to that.

The back three for Shrewsbury is excellent, it has got to be one of the best in the league from a defensive point of view.