Ollie Westbury analysis: Positives aplenty as Shrewsbury bag opening day win
Saturday’s win against Cheltenham was undoubtedly a good start, but it is just a start and Shrewsbury Town boss Matt Taylor knows that.
It has been hard for anyone to predict how this League One season is going to go for Town, and Saturday was the first indicator that it could be a good one.
There were so many positives in the game it is difficult to count them on two hands.
There were the debuts of new players – four of them made appearances in front of the Shrewsbury faithful for the first time in competitive action.
Town were patient with their build-up play, so much so that they perhaps struggled to break down a stubborn Robbins defence in the first half.
But the patterns of play were clear for all to see, they tried to get the ball forward but they were keen to retain possession.
Somehow the best chance of the first half fell to the visitors, who hardly had a kick.
Liam Sercombe’s effort from distance was parried by Marko Marosi when the keeper should have done better and it needed Morgan Feeney to intervene before former Shrewsbury Town loanee Rob Street could poke home from close range.
Taylor said after the game he told his players to be more ruthless in the second half and after that Ryan Bowman, who was skipper in the absence of Chey Dunkley, missed a glorious chance to give Town the lead.
