Shrewsbury v Wrexham - Match preview
Matt Taylor has urged his Shrewsbury Town players to ‘embrace the extra scrutiny’ during their huge FA Cup clash with Wrexham.
The noise around the tie is far greater than any League One game Town have played in so far this season and it is the first sell-out crowd since they played Liverpool in the same competition in 2020.
A Salop press conference is usually a low-key affair but the significance of this game has led to a huge jump in media interest with television cameras and national tabloids attending as Taylor’s side take on their local rivals for the first time in almost 16 years.
And the team who deals with the added pressure the best is more likely to be successful.
“I think you have to embrace the extra eyes that are on us,” the Town head coach said.
“It is an opportunity for our players to show some people who maybe don’t see them too often what they can do.
“That is both with the ball and without the ball. I would like them to embrace the extra scrutiny around this game and the extra press coverage.
“I also want them to not change their mental approach as that is where the game will be won and lost, I imagine.”
Taylor revealed in his media duties that he has spent the week quizzing the Shrewsbury members of staff, who have been lifelong supporters, to get a feel for this rivalry.
But despite the big occasion, he says: “What we cannot do is come away from our identity and who we are.
“And that is why I say we have to play the game and not the occasion.
“It is really easy to get caught up in the uproar around this fixture.
“I am not going to allow the players to do that. I want them to be cool calm and collected. They need to be ready to go and perform because if we do that we have shown it how many times this season that we have got a great chance of winning.
“It is an unbelievable opportunity for us as a football club to get to the fourth round of what I still think is the best competition in the world – the FA Cup.
“I want the players to just go and play a game of football, and carry out the game plan that we give them. If we do that then I might be sat with a smile on my face come the end of the game.”
Shrewsbury have won five out of their last six games against their rivals, but given the time that has passed since they last played – that is pretty irrelevant.
What Taylor does have is the experience of playing in some huge derbies as a player.
“Portsmouth against Southampton was tasty – very tasty,” he reminisced.
“I would say West Ham v Millwall at The Den was worse. I remember getting bricked on the way in and bricked on the way out on the coach.
“I played in the Bolton versus Blackburn game, and they just have a different feel to them.”
