Shrewsbury Town keeping same approach in bid for survival

Since Hurst has taken over as Salop boss, Town have picked up four points from six on their travels.

Playing away from home has been an issue for Shrewsbury for large parts of this season, and they are faced with two massive games on the road this week – firstly against Reading tomorrow, before making to trip to Sincil Bank to play Lincoln City on Tuesday evening.

And Hurst says Town are playing to win no matter the venue – and the cliché of a point being more valuable away from home is a bit of a ‘myth’.

“I don’t think there is anything different for us in terms of home and away,” the head coach said. “I have said before and I will repeat it – the approach is not any different home or away for me.

“My own personal view on it is that it is a bit of a myth.

“It is a pitch – it might be a slightly different size, but it is a game of football, you try to outscore your opponents.

“There is a little bit around the crowd depending on where you go, and maybe trying to quieten that down for a period. But in general, the approach is to win a game of football.

“It is almost a lazy cliché that has been around for many years to think of a good point away from home.

“It might be the same point at home, realistically. So when we got the point (at home) against Barnsley I would have said it was the same if it was at Oakwell – and the same with Derby.

“It is a point, it is a good point against a good team – is it massively different? I don’t see it that way personally.

“There is a bit of travel, but it does not come into how we are asking the team to play, it is just more around Reading or how they set up, not the fact we are away from home.”

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the game against Reading, Hurst confirmed that Shrewsbury defender Tom Flanagan has completed a full training session for the first time since suffering a knee injury against Port Vale at the end of November.

However, he will not be involved this weekend, and an assessment made by the player, the coaches and the medical staff will be made as to when he can return to action.