Paul Hurst addresses Shrewsbury fans' frustration after Wycombe defeat

Shrews headed into the game knowing that one win would almost guarantee their League One safety for another campaign.

But they never got going on a frustrating afternoon at the Croud Meadow as Matt Bloomfield's side ended up 2-0 winners in Shropshire.

"There is nothing to cheer about. I can see the fan's frustration and anger, a little bit during the game, but at the end of the game," Hurst said when asked for his thoughts on the game.

"I cannot stand here and say that I don't agree with them. It is hard to put into words really in truth, in terms of what we have all witnessed this afternoon.

"You start, and I am almost trying to give the players the benefit of the doubt. Is it nerves is it edginess? But as the game goes on it is just a kind of of nothing performance.

"Like I say I am not going to stand here and try and defend it, or lie about it. I think we all, people who were certainly, know what we witnessed and it was a performance that was far from good enough."

It was a clash with very little quality from either side, but the momentum changed when Tom Flanagan was shown a straight red card in the 68th minute for a reckless tackle on Wycombe's Joe Low.

And the Shrewsbury boss was not happy with the decision made by the experienced former Sunderland defender.

"It is a silly challenge, a ridiculous challenge," he said. "It is a sending-off. The only bit I can say, and it still doesn't defend it in the slightest, and I am certainly not attempting to, but these sorts of situations can occur when free kicks are not given.

"He is trying to let the game carry on, but he had one first half that he did not pull up, and we had no advantage whatsoever.

"Dan Udoh gets blocked off, and he is kind of playing an advantage, and I say he is trying to do it for the right reasons, but it is a lot simpler if you blow up.

"Once we get up to that point he knows he is in the wrong Flanno. Like I said it is a ridiculous challenge and not something that I can stand here and remotely try to defend."

And to rub salt into the wounds former captain Luke Leahy scored the first goal, and the most pivotal one as Wycombe took the lead eight minutes from time.

It came from a smartly worked free-kick routine, and he bent it in beyond Marko Marosi – Hurst said that is hard to deal with when you are a man down.

He said: "That one, which I think was the important one, again we don't seem to be getting the rub of the green certainly with any refereeing decisions.

"That is not anything linked to our performance by the way, they take the free-kick they get it wrong and then they get an attempt to do it again.

"People might look at the fact Luke is on the edge of the box but we are a man light. So it makes it harder to defend and get pressure on the ball and he has slotted it away well."

Salop now have a difficult midweek trip to Bolton on Tuesday knowing that a win would pretty much give them the points tally they need.