Sam Northwood previews today’s League 1 home game against Gillingham.
Venue –Montgomery Waters Meadow
Kick off –1500
Head to Head – Played 69, 25 Shrewsbury Town wins, 24 draws, 20 Gillingham wins
Town are in desperate need of some points, they will hope for their first league goal against a Gillingham side short on strikers.
Last time the two clubs met was in April of this year when the teams played out a 0-0 draw. Town haven’t beat Gillingham at home since October 2013.
Gillingham currently sit 15th in League One and will be going into the the game with confidence after beating Morecambe last time in the league. Gillingham are sweating on striker Vadaine Oliver being fit, the striker has picked up a slight injury and is a doubt for the game but with him being their only recognised striker available they may have no other option.
Tuesday was Town’s worst performance in years and Cotterill has stated they are desperate to put that right. Matthew Pennington will be missing the game due to his red card against Rochdale and also Ryan Bowman and David Davis may not be fit enough to start the game.
Our young inspirational reporter and massive Shrewsbury Town fan Corbin is back and he gave us his thoughts on our home Carabao Cup game against Rochdale.
“Despite our poor start to our League One season with us bottom after our home defeat to Plymouth, I felt tonight would be the night to boost our confidence and the chance to draw out one of the big boys in round three. With excitement my Dad and me sat in Block 10 not our usual seats as the West Stand was shut, as the teams came out to hear the news of the line ups, with the drum beating behind us and the fans applauding and singing there was a good feeling in the air.”
“Steve Cotterill had made changes again, the formation looked different with Cosgrove starting up front, Whalley in midfield with Pyke as a number 10, Vela screening the back line as Leshabela got a first start as the creative spark, Leahy was in the mix too, Ebanks Landell was back captaining the team with Bennett, Pennington and Nurse on defensive duty.”
“The Rochdale team in their reddish purple kit looked much different to the team we beat 2-1 at their place last season, a season in which they were relegated to League 2”
“The game started brightly for both teams testing each other out but no passes would stick as the space was closed down. The first attack came from Rochdale and their centre back had the first shot which softly trickled wide. Moments later we got on the front foot as Bennett won a corner and from the corner taken by Leahy, Ebanks Landell headed towards goal but it was a simple save for the former Shrewsbury loanee Joel Coleman to make. A round of applause from Blocks 6 and 7 for Ryan Bowman who was back from injury doing some warming up. We started fizzing the ball into Cosgrove who on many times couldn’t get the ball to stick and he would lose possession, as the game started to drift from Town sideways and backward passes was the theme.”
“Rochdale grew in confidence as they kept us to pinging long balls down the wings to no one. From a corner Rochdale had there was a mighty scramble in front of us and no Rochdale player could get the strike in on goal as Pennington cleared but the ball kept coming back with the visitors wingback hitting a low drive that went narrowly wide. Apart from the opening 15 minutes or so we hardly created anything, you would have thought we were the underdogs not the League 2 side as we looked down beat as passes went astray and our play at times was slow and boring. For us Salop fans it was good to hear the half time whistle.”
“The second half started with Town kicking towards us behind the goal and it looked like they had a talking too from Steve and his staff, we were lively and it wasn’t long until a chance came after brilliant work from Pyke got him into the box, his pass back to Cosgrove was perfect and like against Plymouth and Pompey before Cosgrove leaned back and blazed it over. Leahy down the left worked some space crossed it and as Cosgrove missed the ball Bennett flew in from far side but he headed it well wide. Udoh came on to replace Pyke who I thought had played okay in patches.”
“Then the moment that changed the game and probably blew a big hole in the confidence of the team, Rochdale’s winger slid in their number 9 but he was stopped in the box by Pennington, from our angle it was hard to see who made the tackle with Ebanks Landell on a yellow for an outside the box challenge earlier we were worried for him until Pennington was shown a straight red card, there was a little protest from our players and a yellow card was flashed to someone. The penalty was smashed into the top corner with the 190 odd Rochdale fans in raptures behind the goal, 1-0 to Rochdale and we had 10 men for last 25 minutes. On a lot of times when a team goes down to 10 men it makes them stronger and gives them a point to prove so I felt we still had something to fight for but on the pitch it was different, we looked low and had little confidence. Leshabela who’s final touch had let him down in large parts was still trying a trick or two but often the ball would fall kindly for a Rochdale player. Cosgrove made way for Bloxham, we hoped as fans we would attack but nothing really happened and once again the ball went sideways or backwards. Vela tried a run that broke down, Leahy for all his efforts was struggling with his teammates almost giving up. We had no spark and almost no desire, okay we were losing and only had 10 men but it was only 1-0 and we had shown in the previous round we could recover from a losing position. It became a frustrating watch and a second Rochdale goal from a cross and a header for 2-0 only made things worse.”
“Shouts from the crowd heard around the ground as fans were getting annoyed at what we were watching, once again Leahy who has been decent since he arrived charged down a hopeless ball and got one in the body from the goalie clearance got a big applause but the grounds atmosphere was starting to get worse as some people left early saying that’s enough. Added time just made the pain of defeat drag on and as we left quite a few boos rang around the ground, the players looked so low and it was one of our worst performances for some time. I understand peoples anger even the drum and song at the end sang out “On our way to League Two”.”
“So here we are again another game another defeat another without troubling the score board people, we haven’t won a game in 90 minutes in 6 attempts as we won the first round on penalties and Udoh’s two goals from that match are the only two we have seen scored. It doesn’t look good Cosgrove doesn’t look like a player who is going to get a load of goals, Pyke just needs a goal and then I think his confidence will grow, Bloxham has played a lot out of position and Caton can’t even get a kick. Udoh looks like our only threat but he has been quiet since that Lincoln game. The feeling after losing is one of feeling low and fed up, that feeling could be worse if the third round draw pulls out one of the big Premier League teams but good luck to Rochdale.”
“Man Of The Match yet again another difficult choice but think Leahy gets the nod, another one of our players clearly playing out of position but seems to work hard where ever he plays, maybe next match he could play as a striker.”
“Gillingham next on Saturday, it already feels massive as we really have to start picking up before it gets worse because we Salop fans are a forgiving type and we love players that try but play like that again not only will it be another home loss but the fans could turn against the team and management. We were dreadful tonight. Being a Shrewsbury fan is one of the hardest things but we love our club deep down and we all want that good feeling to return, lets hope Saturday tea time we are all feeling good.”
“Love and Peace, Corbin”
Thanks to Corbin for his thoughts on the game against Rochdale.
Here at “Going Down The Oteley Road” we will be speaking to fans of our opposition throughout the season. Ahead of our home Carabao Cup Second Round game against Rochdale, we had a chat with a Dale fan.
What’s your name?
Ryan Lockett.
Where are you from?
Born and bred in Rochdale.
How long have you supported Rochdale?
I first started watching Rochdale in the 2002/03 season, so 19 years. It’s no wonder I’m going grey early!
Who is your favourite ever Rochdale player?
My favourite ever Rochdale player is Chris O’Grady, who was with us for the 09/10 and 10/11 seasons. He’d been at Oldham and Bury beforehand and we were told in no uncertain terms how bad he was, but he was unbelievable for us. A 6’3 unit of a man but had some of the best feet I’ve seen at Dale. Not seen many strikers like him at this level. Honourable mentions for Paul Connor, Grant Holt and Craig Dawson!
Who is your favourite ever Rochdale manager?
We’ve not had too many managers whilst I’ve been watching them. Think we’re on our 8th now. It’s got to be Keith Hill for what he did in his early days with us and got Rochdale fans dreaming. It turned sour towards the end and his weird dislike for the fans got too much for most, which was a shame. When Hill first came in, he completely changed everything about the club; the style of football, the type of player we recruited, the use of the academy and in his first 3 full seasons we had a Play-Off Final, Play-Off Semi Final, Promotion and then had a really good season in League 1. He came back a few years later and got us promoted in his first full season back too.
Who should we watch out for from the current Rochdale team?
We’re still gelling as a team after a pretty big turnaround of players this summer. Corey O’Keefe, a right back on loan from Mansfield has started the season well. Abraham Odoh is a very direct wide forward too, definitely gets bums off seats when he gets the ball and then Alex Newby, who when he’s ‘on it’ can be a proper player.
Where do you think you will finish in the league this season?
I think we’ll be a top half side, I said on the Rochdaleafc.com podcast pre-season episode that we’ll finish 9th, so I’ll stick by that.
What do you know about Shrewsbury Town?
I know that I’ve always viewed Shrewsbury as a decent club, not too dissimilar to us in many ways. It looks like a poor start to the season from you so far, but I’m sure you’ll pick things up. There are some ex-dale members in your team too, with Wilbz being assistant manager, we had Ebanks-Landell on loan a couple of seasons ago and Rekeil Pyke who had a more forgettable spell with us.
What do you think the score will be?
I think we’ll make some changes, as we play again on Friday night but with us maybe having the momentum from getting an away win on Saturday, I’ll go for Shrewsbury 1-2 Rochdale.
Sam Northwood previews tonight’s Carabao Cup Second Round game against Rochdale.
Venue – Montgomery Waters Meadow
Competition –Carabao Cup Second Round
Kick off – 1945
Head to Head – Played 54, 17 Shrewsbury Town wins, 11 draws, 26 Rochdale wins
Town will hope to progress against League 2 side Rochdale who have had a mixed start to their campaign. Rochdale got handed a bye to the 2nd round due to Harrogate players testing positive for covid.
Last time the two clubs met was in March with Town winning 2-0 at Spotland with goals from Josh Daniels and Josh Vela.
Rochdale got off to a poor start in League 2 losing two and drawing one of their first three games, but confidence will now be high after they won 3-1 in an impressive performance away at Northampton. New manager Robbie Stockdale has been quiet in the window with only a handful of permanent transfers which includes ex Town flop Joel Coleman.
After a disappointing performance again Saturday, Town will hope to forget about league form for one night. They will hope to progress past round two of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2014/15 when they lost to Chelsea in the 4th round. New signing Khanya Leshabala is expected to start. It will also be interesting to see who starts in defence now Ebanks Landell is back from injury. Shaun Whalley could also start after his impressive display coming off the bench on Saturday.
Our young inspirational reporter and massive Shrewsbury Town fan Corbin is back and he gave us his thoughts on our home League One game against Plymouth Argyle.
“Well being a Salop fan has been a hard watch at times and today was another one of those, I have enjoyed some memorable days as a Shrewsbury supporter but afraid today won’t live long in my memory. Stats don’t win football matches its playing on that green thing with white lines on it that gets results, our result today a 3-0 home loss doesn’t do it justice. Shrewsbury line up for the first time this season saw just one goalkeeper on the bench with Whalley and new signing Khanya Leshabela from Leicester on loan.”
“Town’s team was Maroši in goal in a formation that looked like a 4-4-1-1 with Pierre, Pennington, Nurse and Bennett at the back, in the middle Vela,Leahy, Ogbeta and Bloxham, Udoh played deep with Cosgrove as the main man upfront.”
“The atmosphere at kick off was electric, helped by the 890 away fans who were in full voice along with sections of Block 19 and 18, with the South Stand doing their bit too. Shrewsbury kicking towards the away end started on the front foot with a free kick which fell to the feet of Cosgrove who’s first time reaction hit his shot just wide, a little more than 5 minutes later and Cosgrove shot from the edge of the box and his low side foot shot was very close. Leahy, Ogbeta and Bloxham were playing well with Bloxham trying to cross the ball as often as he had it and a few minutes later Cosgrove went down in the box looking for a penalty but nothing came from it and as Plymouth broke a coming together did nothing to help the referee earn respect from us Salop fans as he awarded a soft foul. Just moments later Plymouth’s number 9 found himself free on edge of the box his shot was smashed past Marosi 1-0 to the visitors ,it was hard to swallow after how well we had played. Some of the celebrations from the away fans were a bit over the top as they goaded a section of Block 19.”
“The goal whilst disappointing almost made Shrewsbury step up a gear, we pinned Plymouth back in their own half and a snap shot from Cosgrove just sailed over the bar. Ogebta, Bennett and Bloxham were crossing in but Plymouth defended everything, Ogbeta did a drop shoulder dummy but his shot nearly went out for a throw in. Against the run of play Plymouth counter attacked and but for better finishing they would be two up at the break. The half time whistle blew after 3 added minutes, though we had a zero on the scoreboard many of us felt it was only a matter of time but sometimes the half time break can have a bad effect on the team with the momentum.”
“The second half was barely three minutes old with people still returning to their seats and Plymouth scored the type of goal I score on FIFA 21 every week, a long ball that Pennington fluffed his clearance and the Plymouth number 9 picked up the loose ball with a side pass to his strike partner who hit it into the net as Maroši and Pierre came to help back up Pennington. Utter criminal defending as two defenders were attracted to the ball along with the goalkeeper, a goal even my Nan could have scored! Yet again the away end erupted and the visiting fans were going nuts, many had to be held off by the security and some policemen.”
“2-0 down as the clock showed 49 minutes any plan Cotterill had at half time were ripped up and in the bin. On the hour reinforcements brought Whalley on for Ogbeta and Pyke for Cosgrove but before they were brought on 2-0 became 3-0. Shrewsbury were attacking but the move broke down, Plymouth played the ball long and their number 9 ran through a desperate lunge by Bennett as he gave the keeper the eyes and made it 3-0. Once again the Plymouth fans reacted to the goal with over celebrating causing many Shrewsbury fans to goad them back. A Shrewsbury fan got ejected by the Police and security for what I was told was a bottle thrown. The scenes were getting ugly as both sets of fans were held back by the extra security on duty as other fans left the ground in disgust to the scoreline. Leshabela was brought on with 20 minutes to go for his debut and he seemed confident on the ball as his passing was assured. A wriggling run from Whalley saw him dragged down on edge of the box, Leahy’s free-kick hit the corner of post and bar as the ball spun wide. The game was up and as we tried different things to get a consolation 3-0 nearly became 4 as their number 9 who had two to his name broke through the lines again but his shot was superbly saved by Maroši. The final whistle blew after 5 minutes of time added on with some fans booing after watching us well beaten at home.”
“So we find ourselves in a troubling bottom position in the table, 4 league games with no goals scored and 7 conceded. I said at the start stats dont win matches but 17 shots at goal, one shot on target, 11 corners and 63% of the possession. If you didn’t know the score you’d be surprised that we lost 3-0, in contrast Plymouth had 37% of the ball had 5 shots at goal with 4 on target and they scored with 3. Watching the team warm up pre match with the training goals perhaps we should move the match goals maybe we might actually score!”
“Once again I am left with a difficult choice for Man Of The Match but Daniel Udoh deserves it today, tireless work sometimes against big defenders he did his best to link with midfield, his defending at times was among the best so Daniel Udoh gets my vote.”
“Now we have the chance to forget the League with a second round Carabao Cup tie against Rochdale on Tuesday, a proper chance to get into round 3 and get one of the top Premier League teams. Our next league action is next Saturday we are at home again, this time against Gillingham. It’s time to make the Meadow the fortress it has been in the past.”
“Love and Peace, Corbin”
Thanks to Corbin for his thoughts on the game against Plymouth Argyle.
Here at “Going Down The Oteley Road” we will be speaking to fans of our opposition throughout the season. Ahead of our home League 1 game against Plymouth Argyle, we had a chat with an Argyle fan.
What’s your name?
Connor Robertson-Allen
Where are you from?
Penryn, Cornwall
How long have you supported Plymouth?
12 years
Who is your favourite ever Plymouth player?
Probably Graham Carey, the things he could do with a football were unbelievable and won us games on his own at times.
Who is your favourite ever Plymouth manager?
Paul Sturrock, took us from League 2 to the Championship.
Who should we watch out for from the current Plymouth team?
Easy to say Luke Jephcott because of his goals, Danny Mayor is good on his day, Niall Ennis when he’s back from injury.
Where do you think you will finish in the league this season?
11th/12th
What do you know about Shrewsbury Town?
Not a great deal tbh, I know our manager used to play for you and we have James Bolton(one of your ex players)
What do you think the score will be?
1-0 Argyle.
Big thanks to Connor, for answering our questions.
Sam Northwood previews today’s League 1 home game against Plymouth Argyle.
Venue –Montgomery Waters Meadow
Kick off –1500
Head to Head –Played 53, 16 Shrewsbury Town wins, 20 draws, 17 Plymouth Argyle wins.
Town will be desperate for a win to kickstart their season against a Plymouth outfit managed by ex Town player Ryan Lowe.
Last time the two clubs met was in April with an impressive 3-0 win with goals from Nathanael Ogbeta and two from Shaun Whalley.
Plymouth have had a busy window which included the signings of James Bolton and Callum Burton, Bolton is injured and won’t feature whilst Burton has been on the bench in recent games. Defender Brandon Galloway who once announced as a signing for Town but then quickly got deleted due to him failing a medical could be involved. Plymouth have won one, drew one and lost one so far this season but also thrashed Peterborough 4-0 in the EFL Cup.
After a much better performance on Tuesday away at Portsmouth despite losing, Town will hope they can take the positives from it into this game. It is a great chance for Town to pick up their first three points and with new singing Khenya Leshabela from Leicester, the hope would have grown even more.
This season we will be talking to a Salop fan each week about their love of Shrewsbury Town, this weeks Fan Of The Week is Dani Shutt.
Where do you live?
I live in Shrewsbury.
How long have you been a Salop fan?
11 years.
How did you become a Shrewsbury Town fan?
My Dad took me to my first football game and it was Shrewsbury Town. We played accrington Stanley and won 2-1.
Who was the first Town player you became a fan of?
Favourite Town player was John Nolan because he was an exceptional player.
What has been your favourite season as a fan?
2017/2018 when we went to Wembley under Paul Hurst, an amazing season.
Where do you usually sit at Montgomery Waters Meadow?
I sit in block 6.
If you could pick an alternate song for the team to run out to, what would it be?
I would choose Pump It Ip by Endorsing because it really gets the fans going to boost atmosphere.
Who is your Shrewsbury hero?
My Town hero is Dave Edwards as he was good and is a very nice man.
How do you think Salop will do this season?
I think we will finish 14th.
Who of the current squad do you think is one to watch for this season?
Nathaniel Ogbeta, because he is a young player that is showing alot of promise and is good to watch. He is very skillful.
If you could bring back one ex Town player, who would it be?
Toto Nsiala has he was very good defensively and he made the team better.
Three words to describe why you support the Town?
My first game.
Massive thanks to Dani for answering our questions and for being this weeks Fan Of The Week. If you fancy becoming a Fan Of The Week just drop us a message on either our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/GoingDownTheOteleyRoad/ or on Twitter @GDTORsalop
Going Down The Oteley Road 