Shrewsbury v Burton - Match preview
Hectic though Shrewsbury Town’s start to the season might have been, you won’t hear Matt Taylor complaining.
Tonight’s visit of Burton is the fourth match in 11 days since the campaign began and spare moments have been at a premium.
Players and staff were given their first day off on Sunday, though there was no such luxury for the head coach with the transfer window in its final three weeks and Town pushing hard to strengthen their squad.
In an ironic moment which summed it up, Taylor received a call from director of football Micky Moore while answering a question about the relentless schedule during yesterday’s pre-match press briefing.
“It is busy, but it is also what gets you,” he says. “It’s football. At times, it is like a drug. It is addictive. At times as a coach you need a reset, or it can become 24/7 obsessive but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Asked how he switches off, Taylor replied: “Go home, get put in my place by my wife. Understand she is the boss. See the kids. They don’t care (about football results). Take the dog for a walk.
“Just the normal simple things which everyone else does and enjoys which, when you are at work, you don’t get time to do. But one thing I will say is I had 14 months of doing that when I was out of management. I enjoyed it but I enjoy this far more.”
Town head into tonight’s match, the first of back-to-back home fixtures with the visit of Lincoln to come on Saturday, with Taylor demanding an improvement after the weekend’s 2-0 loss at Stevenage.
Staff and players spent yesterday morning debriefing the performance, with the head coach later pondering whether last Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Leeds might have played some part in a somewhat lacklustre display.
“It was important the players had a day off on Sunday,” he said. “They didn’t have one all last week and it is important they spend time at home with their families to switch off a little bit.
“I also think it is important the staff have some time at home, just being normal. With all of us being obsessed with football it is very easy at times to forget the focus of other things in life, the things which aren’t football.
“It was nice the staff had time at home to relax. First and foremost we have to make sure we are prepped so when the players come in everything is correct and to the point. It is difficult because you can’t forget about the next game but you have to, because they come so thick and fast.”
Burton arrive in Shropshire off the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Derby and still searching for their first goal of the campaign.
Taylor warned: “I don’t think the results they have had reflect the team they are. It will be a tough night for us. There were some lessons to learn from Stevenage but the last performance at home was positive and the result good.”
