Cheltenham 2 Shrewsbury 0 - Report
It was another disappointing day at the office for Shrewsbury Town - who fell to their third successive defeat.
Cheltenham were the team this time to get the better of Matt Taylor's Shrewsbury Town who were really poor against the division's bottom side at the start of the day.
The 2-0 defeat, courtesy of a brace from George Lloyd either side of half-time, meant Town have not won since the victory against Wycombe.
And their failure to score meant they became the divison's joint lowest scorers on a tough day in Gloucestershire.
Defeats against league leaders Portsmouth and second-placed Peterborough are fairly understandable given the quality of the opposition, but this was a particularly tough day with Shrews doing nowhere near enough to get back into the game once they went behind.
The goals conceded, both from set pieces, were avoidable and will be something the head coach will be extremely disappointed with.
Things are tough for Town at the moment and they are being dealt a hammer blow with injuries - that looked like it got even worse when Dan Udoh appeared to limp off against the Robins.
ANALYSIS
Town arrived at the Completely-Suziki Stadium having had Christmas Day off - as Matt Taylor said time with their families is vitally important as they start the busy festive period.
The game was watched by former Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill for the first time since he left the club in the summer.
It was played at a really high tempo and the opening 45 minutes followed a different trend compared to the last two home defeats.
Town saw more than 54 per cent of possession but did not have a chance worthy of reporting.
Former team-mates Rob Street and Marko Marosi got into an altercation after the Robins forward left the boot in on the Town keeper - Marosi reacted angrily and both players were booked.
Town offered more of a threat but they were unable to find that killer pass or cross at the edge of the box that would unlock the Robins backline.
And at the other end, Darrell Clarke's side took the lead, when Lloyd headed home from Liam Sercombe's free-kick.
He had been marked by Elliott Bennett but he got the better of his man to produce a lovely header that went across Marosi and into the corner.
Lloyd had not scored before Boxing Day, but he almost had two in the space of a couple of minutes when he headed over from another cross from the right.
Town had a chance of their own before the break, Daniel Udoh getting a shot away after Luke Southwood's punch did not clear the penalty area, but despite an improved performance, it was not enough for Town.
The hosts made two changes at the break, and rather than Town going in search of an equalising goal, it looked far more likely that the home side would add to their lead.
Taylor went to his bench bringing on Max Mata but that did not change the direction of travel and Street should have made it two for the home side.
From eight yards out but Jordan Shipley was on the line and he managed to clear it away.
Taylor went to the bench again with less than 20 minutes left on the clock introducing Mal Benning and Tunmise Sobowale which also included a switch to a back four.
Ben Williams, who had only come on at half-time, hit the bar in the last 10 minutes after a wonderful curling free-kick.
They did get their second goal though, when Lloyd headed home for his second of the afternoon.
One of the only positives to come out of the day was the debut of Luca Whitney who came on for the last few minutes.
Town did not do enough on the day and the players were given a good reception from their fans at the end despite their below-par performance.
They will now need to be better when they take on Burton Albion and Fleetwood in quick succession.
Teams
Shrewsbury: Marosi, Dunkley, Pierre, Anderson (Benning 71), Shipley, Bennett (Sobowale 71), Winchester, Kenneh, Perry (Mata 55), Bowman (Feeney 86), Udoh (Whitney 86).
Subs: Burgoyne, Feeney, Benning, Sobowale, Loughran, Whitney, Mata.
Cheltenham: Southwood, Long, Bradbury, Freestone, Sercombe (Pett 45), Street, Thompson, Ferry (Williams 45), Lloyd (Keena 89), Smith, Bonds.
Subs: Williams, Hammond, Keena, Pardington, Horton, Pett, Butler-Oyedeji
