Peterborough v Shrewsbury - Match preview
Shrewsbury are heading to Peterborough targeting another three points as they bid to continue their fantastic run of form since the turn of the year.
Salop got a battling point on the road at the weekend – despite being two goals down at the interval against Paul Warne’s Derby County.
Luke Leahy converted his 10th penalty of the season after midfielder Tom Bayliss had given Town hope with a curling free-kick from distance.
And Bayliss has now set his sights on the game against Peterborough tonight, targeting three points against rivals for the play-offs.
He said: “It is going to be a tough game, they are another team who are in and around us. We are going there to win, we showed on Saturday that we can compete with these teams that are in and around us and we will be going there to get three points.”
Posh, now under the stewardship of Darren Ferguson for a fourth time, are the only side Salop are yet to take on yet in League One this season as this is a fixture that was initially scheduled to take place before Christmas and cancelled due to weather.
They have met in the FA Cup, with Shrews running out 3-1 winners in that game when Grant McCann was still in charge.
Bayliss got an early goal on that day in Shropshire, while Matthew Pennington and Luke Leahy also got on the scoresheet as Town scored three in the first half.
And the 23-year-old said they can take confidence from the win, but urged his team-mates to take nothing for granted.
“It is always nice to know you have beaten the team you are coming up against,” the former Preston and Coventry man continued. “But we take nothing for granted. It is away from home it will be tough to get something, we are going there to get three points and back up the last couple of results we have had. You have to believe you can beat everyone you come against, and we are a very together group strong group and we can beat anyone on our day.”
Salop now sit ninth in League having gone past last season’s tally of 50 points and there are still 12 games remaining.
The game is another important one if they still have ambitions of making a late play-off challenge.
Barnsley are the side who are currently in sixth place and Salop trail them by eight points, but they do still have to play each other.
Just above them are Derby, who lead them by nine points – so it will take a large points swing for Shrews to make it.
But they still have to play a lot of the teams they are competing with and Posh are one of them. It is a demanding week for Steve Cotterill’s men as it is their second game on the road before they take on Morecambe at Montgomery Waters Meadow this Saturday. The pair have not met since the first game of the season when they played out a goalless draw in Lancashire.
