Dave Edwards: Shrewsbury running on empty after a tough run of games
It was a tough week for Shrewsbury Town with two really difficult games.
Plymouth who are right at the very top, and Bolton have been in excellent form with that play-off spot cemented.
It was always going to be challenging and the monumental effort against Plymouth on Tuesday night with the effort they had to put in.
Steve Cotterill knew he was going to have to get 90 minutes out of every single player who started and to lose at the end of the game in the way they did – that can have a massive effect on your recovery.
You have put in the same amount of effort as you would have if you would have won the game, and the dejection after the final whistle when you have put some much in and you have not got anything to show for it is huge.
That would have made the recovery harder leading up to Bolton, and like a couple of other times this season, it was just a game too far for them.
Once again they showed heart, desire and they were resolute which is everything you have come to expect from this Shrewsbury side, but ultimately you are playing against a very very good Bolton side.
They keep the ball and move the ball and that took its toll by the looks of it in the second half. Marko Marosi had to make a few saves, and the hosts would have been disappointed had they not won that game of football. That is no detriment to Town as they are running on empty at the moment.
They need a little bit of rest bite at the minute and having a week off, hopefully, they can get a couple more players involved and around it.
They can go into a massive game on Saturday with Sheffield Wednesday, who have to win after they have thrown away their automatic hopes of late.
It will be just the type of game where Shrewsbury will need to give a big performance before those final games.
It has been a monumental effort from Luke Leahy and Chey Dunkley to have started all 43 League One games to this point.
It is such a small squad as well so they have not had the luxury of being able to rotate it too much either – the pair have played 90 minutes pretty much every single week.
It is a testament to them for their professionalism, how they look after themselves and how robust they are. They both play in demanding positions too, Dunkley is involved in so many duels he never pulls out of anything.
Leahy has to get through so much leg work in midfield, and he has played through injuries as there was a stage in the season when he was really battling with a shoulder problem.
The best thing about it all is they have been two of Town’s stand-out players. They are probably unlucky not to have been in EFL League One team of the season, but every Salopian will appreciate what they have given to the club this season.
I keep saying it is not an easy thing to do after every game, you are so tired physically, mentally and emotionally. So to make sure they are doing to right things day in and day out to ensure they are in the best shape possible come kick-off time is a massive dedication which they both have in abundance.
