Shrewsbury boss gives his honest opinion after late drama

It looked as if Town were heading to a second straight defeat after Max Bird had converted from close range 10 minutes into the second half.

But Mal Benning, who was voted Shrewsbury's player of the month earlier in the week, skipped past a couple of challenges before sliding in Aaron Pierre in the 87th minute – who scored for the first time in more than three years.

Curtis Nelson hit the bar for Derby in added time, but Shrews clung on for a point which Hurst feels was a fair result.

"Pleased with a point, I think we would have taken that before the game," the head coach said.

"Albeit, and I am not just saying this, we came here to try and win, and not just to take a point or hang on.

"From what I have seen statistics-wise and the feeling I had, I do not think they caused us too many problems.

"I thought we caused them near enough as many, but when we fell behind, you are concerned in terms of how the rest of the game would pan out.

"But it seemed to spark us into wanting to play more and that is a frustration but pleasing as well.

"As in I say it is hard to know for definite if that is a great response from us, or was that them taking a backwards step because they had got themselves in front.

"But we started to pass the ball more and had a while where it was good.

"I still think there has to be more belief from our own players at times, but even first half I thought we had a couple of bits of play where the lads showed confidence to get on the ball and play.

"There were a couple of decent moves without creating that clear-cut chance, but we had a couple of efforts at goal.

"But I think overall we have as many, maybe one less, attempts overall and as many on target, which is pleasing.

"Overall, with the effort, we deserved that point."

The result means Town have now won one, drawn and lost one since Hurst took over, and despite dropping two places in the League One table after the result in Derbyshire – every Town fan would consider that a point gained rather than two dropped.

It was a game where clear-cut chances were few and far between as the Salop kept their opponents, who are second in the league at arm's length for 55 minutes.

But Hurst was disappointed with the 'soft' way in which his side went behind in the game after they conceded from a set piece.

He added: "Yeah for how good a team Derby are in general and the players they have I think we did limit quite considerably.

"And the goal, if that had turned out to be the winning goal, would have been extremely hard to take and annoying because it is basic.

"It is not something they have worked on, and it is soft isn't it, that is the best way to describe it.

"But from a delivery that was not great, Bird has got in front of his man and scored so it was frustrating on that side but it was a good response from the players."