Steve Cotterill urges Shrewsbury to 'keep going' amid terrific unbeaten run
Steve Cotterill has urged his Shrewsbury Town side to ‘keep going’ amid their terrific unbeaten run in League One.
The last time the experienced boss’s side lost a league game was the 3-0 defeat to Fleetwood on New Year’s Day.
Since then, they have taken 19 points from the last 21 available in a brilliant run, which has seen them climb the league table and mount a play-off challenge.
And ahead of their clash against Accrington today, the boss has urged his side to keep going, something he thinks his players can do.
He said: “We have got to keep it going, we need to keep coming in on a Monday morning and see what week we have ahead.
“I think we have a real level- headed group, they are very young men, but they are very realistic about the group, but also where we are size-wise as a club in this league, and I think they are acutely aware of where we are budget-wise in this league.
“So you know, it is difficult because you want them to enjoy the good moments, you want them to gain confidence with it.
“And I always say as long as it is confidence and not arrogance, then we will be fine.
“They are a grounded group anyway, it wouldn’t need me to have to get on top of anyone, I don’t think anyone would get away with it in the dressing room.
“And nine times out of 10, you only get that when new players come in, the new players we have got have been wrapped around the group now with myself and the staff. I don’t detect anything, we will have our moments when training won’t always go to plan, but predominantly they are a really good group they train hard, they work hard.”
Town have had to deal with a lot this season with Dan Udoh and George Nurse both being ruled out for the season among other injury problems.
And the boss says that is partly due to the team spirit they have managed to deal with it, which is hard to create.
“There’s a lot that goes into that,” he said about the team spirit. “Coming together is only the beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.
“Keeping together, that middle bit, is quite often what trips people up.
“I might not accept you for what you are and you might not accept me for what I am. What I mean by that is that we all have faults, but what you have to do is look past the faults and find the good in the person you’re sitting next to or playing next to. Keeping together can trip people up but what these lads have done, from the coming together, going away in pre-season I thought was so, so important.
“Going out to Spain was a real bonding exercise – that was really important for us as a group.
“Keeping together is about working hard when you’re not in the team and I mean on the field and off the field, at the training ground.
“Be giving towards the group because nine times out of 10, everybody will be good to you when you come in because you’ve been so good when you’ve been out of the group.
“We’re really really lucky with that – we have that.
“While someone may be sad if they’re left out one week when kick-off comes they drop their egos and fight for each other.”
