Lincoln v Shrewsbury preview: Salop looking up as they get set for one final effort
Shrewsbury Town are set to bring down the curtain on what has been a season of progression at Lincoln tomorrow.
Salop are currently 12th in League One ahead of the final game, and if they win – and other results go their way – they could finish as high as 10th.
While there is uncertainty with what is going on off the pitch – after former chief executive Brian Caldwell left the club earlier this week – the team have performed fairly consistently on it.
Steve Cotterill’s men got an important win on Tuesday evening against Bristol Rovers, thanks to goals from captain Luke Leahy and striker Rob Street guiding them to victory.
It brought an end to a tricky spell of results for Cotterill’s team, they had been battling with a depleted squad and had not won since early March before the victory over Joey Barton’s Gas.
And they will be up for it on Sunday according to Cotterill, with plenty still at stake.
“We have got ourselves into a position by winning the other night that we have an opportunity to move further up the league,” the boss said, when asked for his thoughts on Town’s final game.
“We want to do that. We have been in that top 10 for so long this season.
“We know that results need to go right around us but we have got to do our own job first and foremost.
“Lincoln are a good club. A good team with a good young manager. I like Mark, I think they have got some good players there.
“I think he has done a really, really, good job.”
Salop’s players have been required to put in enormous shifts this season.
Luke Leahy and Chey Dunkley have been immense, and if they start in the game against Lincoln they will have started every single game – a brilliant effort.
Christian Saydee was missing on Tuesday night, after the forward suffered a reaction to playing against Sheffield Wednesday.
He has been battling with a knee problem, and he will want to be fit for his last Town game before he returns to his parent club Bournemouth on completion of his loan.
The boss also revealed Matthew Pennington will not feature at the weekend, and with the defender being out of contract in Shropshire at the end of the season he may have played his last game for the club.
The same goes for the rest of the Town loan players, – Carl Winchester, Street, Taylor Moore and Killian Phillips.
They have all put in great shifts for the team this year and the manager has been keen to praise them for their effort and commitment.
It has been a good season for Town who will be pleased with the progress they have made following a 17th-placed finish last year.
This group of players will quite possibly be playing together for the final time so they will want to make sure they finish the season off well.
