Dave Edwards: Resilient Shrewsbury bouncing back time and time again
The most impressive thing about Shrewsbury Town is their resilience and the way they respond after tough results.
Four points at the start of this week would have always been good and, in truth, they probably deserved more out of it – arguably at least another point but maybe three with the chances they had at Derby to win it.
On the whole, it has been positive seven days – they have that bounce-back-ability, whenever they lose like they did against Accrington Stanley a while back or like Peterborough they just come back with really big performances.
Games like Morecambe, who are struggling, are teams in the past that Town have struggled against, but I feel like when you look at the game as a 90 minutes Town were very very comfortable. There was perhaps a bit of added pressure when they conceded before half-time making that second half more challenging than it could have been – but they would have been good value for a 2-0 lead at the interval if they had not conceded.
But still, they went and looked for that third goal, they pressed and had chances, and it was the set pieces again that got them the win.
When you look at the fixtures coming up that could be a vital three points. They do not get any easier, and it is one of the toughest finishes to a season that I have seen Salop have. It is exciting they are in the form they are, and they can go into that full of confidence.
Luke Leahy has shown great resilience week in and week out to keep playing. He had a shoulder problem for a long time, but he managed to keep on playing through that.
It is a tough league to do it in with regular Saturday and Tuesday games, plus all of the travelling.
It is not like when you are at a top club when the recovery facilities are so good and you are flying to games.
It will take it out of you, so to be in the top three players pretty much every single week and leading the team as well as he has done is a credit to him.
He has been an unbelievable signing, and he is getting better and better in that midfield role while being a real fan favourite because of his attitude.
One of the best things you can say about a player is when you have that effect on your team that everything goes through you, and that is certainly the case with the Town skipper, he has wonderful quality with his left foot too. The whole club shows progress in every aspect of what they have been doing.
A huge part of that is down to the manager and everything he has put together at the club. When you look at the attendances too, almost 7,000 at Montgomery Waters Meadow again at the weekend with the away following being very very small – it is more progression.
A special mention must also go to Chey Dunkley.
It is not very often a defender gets nominated for things like the League One player of the month award, but it is well deserved.
It is another unbelievable signing for Town, I know the manager has been trying to get him for a long time.
Before he signed I knew what a good addition he would be from playing against him and watching him play for Wigan and Sheffield Wednesday. He is so aggressive attacking the ball, and when you take that aggression into the opposition’s box he is a massive threat.
