Shrewsbury v Port Vale: Ryan Bowman’s back to his best as Salop target another win

The forward had endured a difficult season until quite recently, finding himself out of the team with minutes hard to come by.

But things have turned around for Bowman in recent weeks after he scored a 98th-minute winner against Forest Green Rovers before scoring another late winner a week later against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

And the Town boss Cotterill says he is really pleased with the way Bowman’s form has picked up in recent times.

He said: “I’m really pleased for Ryan. He’s had a tough five or six months this season really.

“I don’t think his form had been as good as it has been in the past month or so in training. All credit to him. Everyone is pleased for him.

“Sometimes people have things going on in their lives that can affect them – not saying that’s the case with Ryan – but we’re delighted that he’s back and in form.

“His character has always been good but you can lose focus in life and I think he had lost that little bit of focus in the early part of the season.

“But he’s had that back for a little while now and his performances of late when he’s come on have been very very good.

“We’re pleased for him. He’s one of the lads we’ve bought in and when you think about what we paid for him, £80,000 or so, that’s not bad for a striker in this league.”

Town head into Saturday’s clash looking to make it six league wins in succession – and a victory against Port Vale would match their winning run from March 2015.

It has been an incredibly successful period for Shrewsbury.

They had a tricky Christmas period where they lost all of their festive games, but they have bounced back in style.

In their five-match winning run, they have conceded just two goals and scored 13, which leaves them on the brink of the play-off places.

Cotterill also said Matthew Pennington was feeling better, but the boss still did not seem confident the defender was ready to feature.

He missed last weekend’s win at Oxford as he was still feeling the effects of a bang on the head he suffered against Forest Green the week previously.

Bowman’s two goals will no doubt have the striker in contention for a starting position, but Cotterill might be reluctant to change a forward line that has been so effective in recent weeks – with Bowman himself being an asset from the bench.

The visitors have had indifferent form of late, they have not won any of their last five league games losing three and drawing two.

Shrews will be looking to get their own back after Vale were 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture back in September.