Goals will come says Shrewsbury Town striker Max Mata

Salop’s struggles in front of goal have been well documented this season – if they do not score today, they will have gone a whole calendar month without doing so.

But Town boss Matt Taylor says spirits are high within the camp despite their run of form.

They created opportunities at Leyton Orient last weekend, and Mata believes if they keep doing this, eventually their luck will change.

He said: “The main thing we need to focus on is making sure that we keep doing the same things that we do every week.

“We need to get in the right positions, put the right passes in and everything like that. The more you do it the more chances you create and the more likely you are to score.

“I believe that is what it is about, we have some very good players in the team, not just strikers who can score but players all over the pitch.

“We need to put attacking pressure on teams, it is just a matter of time before one goal goes in.

“I am a big believer that once one goal goes in then the rest will flow.”

Mata has started the last few games alongside Dan Udoh – and the New Zealand international has spoken about how he feels the pair complement each other.

He said: “I like playing with Dan, he is an amazing character as well. He is an important man in the dressing room and a leader.

“The way that we play complements each other, and we look to combine on the pitch. So I am enjoying it so far.”

Town signed 14 new players over the summer – Mata was one of these new additions arriving from Sligo Rovers in Ireland. Relocating to a new country can have its challenges, but the forward says he has been made to feel very welcome during his time in Shropshire so far.

He said: “I am enjoying it. Everyone around the club was very welcoming and they helped me settle in. I had a little bit of time to settle in with the team, with the coaches, with the new style of play.

“So it made it a little bit more comfortable for me to make the transition from training to the games.

“It is a whole new experience, but I am really enjoying it. I feel like have been learning a lot every single day and learning the league as well – it is different to what I am used to.

“At my old club, there are only 10 teams so you end up playing the same teams every couple of weeks. So it is always new opposition and new players, overall, I am really enjoying the experience so far.”