Dave Edwards: Shrewsbury step up to win such a huge game early doors
This game really felt like an early-season six-pointer.
Neither team had picked up a point yet and went head-to-head on Saturday in a huge game.
Shrewsbury were at home and really needed a result, and they stepped up and got it.
There were some terrific performances but I’m more impressed with how they went about it and the structure of the team.
They went through long periods of the game without the ball and had 27 per cent possession, but they really limited Leyton Orient to very little.
They only really had one opportunity and although Leyton Orient’s attack isn’t great and Town will come up against sterner tests, the work that the back four and two holding midfielders did was excellent at stemming any Leyton Orient forays into the box.
It was really impressive and Town did a lot of work off the ball, which gave the rest of the team a platform to show the quality they have in the final third.
I really like the look of the three players supporting George Lloyd, with Tommi O’Reilly on the right, Jordan Shipley on the left and Leo Castledine in the middle.
That is a really exciting and talented three attacking midfielders. Shipley had one of his quieter games but he was productive, solid and brings experience.
The two youngsters in O’Reilly and Castledine are what Shrewsbury fans have been crying out for.
They are exciting, get fans off their seats and the nature of them being young players probably helped on Saturday, in what would have been a very nerve-wracking game with so much on the line. Being younger, you play with a lot more freedom and they certainly showed that, linking up terrifically for the first goal.
