In-form Shrewsbury fired up to tackle leaders

But they will go into the clash on the back of a superb success away to Longton last weekend that extended their winning run to three games.

Head coach Dale Smallman was full of praise for his side’s efforts in testing conditions as Dom Phillips scored a dramatic late try to seal a 25-21 win.

“Saturday was the best performance in the time I have been here, it was outstanding,” said Smallman. “We were 14-6 down at half-time having played with the wind and slope in our favour.

Resilience

“The second half was all about grit and resilience and doing the basics well. We led 20-14 with two minutes to go only for Longton to score a try scored, which their kicker converted from out on the touchline. But we charged them down following the restart, gained possession and scored a try before seeing the game out. It was a real gutsy performance.”

Shrewsbury’s first-half points had come via two penalties from Phillips. Andy Cahrlesworth and Liam Deary then scored tries, both of which were converted by Phillips, who then grabbed the dramatic winning score.

Now Smallman is gearing up for Saturday’s challenge.

“We have won three games on the bounce and have a bit of momentum but this will be a huge test,” he said,

“They will be very organised and well drilled and it will be a great test to see where we are at.”