We’ve been lucky enough at “Going Down The Oteley Road” to speak to some ex Shrewsbury Town players, this week Daz Carding spoke with ex defender and Town captain Ian Sharps.

How did it feel to debut for Shrewsbury Town?

It is always a mixture of nerves and excitement when you make a debut for a team. I remember the Shrewsbury one well, Bradford at home. I was probably at fault for the first goal as I didn’t win the ball in the air and it let them get a free shot which they scored from, not the ideal start! However, I thought I had scored the equaliser (and probably should have) but the keeper saved my initial shot but I managed to head it towards Jake Robinson to get his first of his hat trick. I wouldn’t say it was my greatest ever game (a little bit better than my second game at the Meadow when we conceded three in the opening 20 mins) but to come away with a sound victory against a big club like Bradford was a good sign of things to come.

What was the best moment for you personally in a Shrewsbury Town shirt?

I think the obvious answer to that is the promotion in my second season. To win it on home soil and be able to celebrate with fans, family and friends was magical. My Dad had watched virtually every game I had ever played in to that point and if you count all my games as a kid it would be in the thousands and I had asked my wife to move around the country with me while I was playing and put my work ahead of hers, so to be able to celebrate with them in the stadium was a special experience. As a team we had worked so hard that season and when the final whistle went against Dagenham and Redbridge you can actually see me smile on some photos!!

You played under Graham Turner at Shrewsbury, what was he like as a manager?

I found the gaffer a very quiet man through the week saying little but observing everything. He would leave training to Jon Trewick and Mike Jackson but would be at every session watching and saying something if it wasn’t quiet right. We had a good bunch of lads who tended to work hard every day without much need for motivation but if something needed to be said the players knew where they stood. On match days it was slightly different, and he would take control of the changing room and every player would know the game plan before we went out.

What made you choose to play for Shrewsbury? 

I think it was meant to be. I had always enjoyed playing at the Meadow. Jon McMahon had been my youth coach (and was then at Town as first team coach) and had called to say there was interest but at this time Rotherham were looking to build a side for promotion and persuaded me to stay for two more years. In the summer of signing I had made my mind up that I wanted a new venture away from Rotherham and had a good conversation with Mike Jackson and made my mind up the Shrewsbury was ideal club for me. At this point a manager hadn’t been appointed but I got the inclination that Graham Turner would get the job and as soon as he was official, I was made up to get the paper work sorted.

You were captain for Town, how did that make you feel? 

I loved being captain of the club. The club had very similar values to myself in the fact it was/is family orientated, this helped me settle in the first place and then I was in a good position to help others as they needed it. I saw myself as the bridge between the players and the staff and would be in constant dialogue with Jon Trewick to make sure any potential problems either way could be sorted. In fairness to the lads we had an easy changing room to skipper as they were hard working and all got on well together.

Who was the best player you played with at Shrewsbury?

There were lots of good players such as James Collins, Matt Richards, Joe Jacobson, Marvin Morgan and Shane Candsell Sherriff. However, if you pushed me, I would probably go for Wrighty. I loved playing with Mark Wright because he would be able to accept the ball in tight situations, beat a player with skill or pace, score a goal and he worked extremely hard off the ball especially for a winger!!

Of the two goals you scored for Salop, which was the most memorable?

Being honest I can only remember one! The header against Burton Albion at home from a corner. I think I had nearly scored a minute or so before but rose well to beat the keeper in the air. It made a good impression on the Burton staff as they mentioned it when I signed for them a year later.

Who was the best player you played against?

I played against Nicolas Anelka in a pre season friendly for Tranmere. He destroyed me! I think it was about 4-0 at half time and I couldn’t get close enough to kick him never mind make a tackle.

What football team do you support?

As a kid I followed Liverpool and luckily for me my boy, Jacob is mad into football and has decided not to listen to his Grandad and support the red side of Merseyside and not the blue.

Who was your footballing hero when you were a child?

Being a Liverpool fan, I used to love John Barnes and Peter Beardsley. Being a defender, I also used to have a soft spot for Glynn Hysen (google him!!)

When did you realise that being a footballer was the career for you?

Every photo I look at from my childhood I either have a football kit on or a football at my feet or both. I genuinely don’t think I ever thought of doing anything else, much to the annoyance of my teachers!

What made you want to be a central defender?

My height probably! I was a frustrated midfielder for large parts of my youth football and would try and break forward as much as possible. But the big players tend to get stuck at the back as they can head it. As the years went on I grew to love defending and see a clean sheet how a striker sees scoring a goal.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a footballer? 

Only do it if its what you want to do above anything else. There are a lot of highs and lows from day to day and it can take its toll on home/personal life. To succeed at any level you need to have the dedication and love of the game in my opinion.

Huge thanks to Ian for chatting with us about his time at Shrewsbury and for bringing back some great memories from years gone by.

For more content like this keep an eye on our our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/GoingDownTheOteleyRoad/ and on Twitter @GDTORsalop

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We asked the Salopian super fan, Bizzy for his thoughts on Salop Reserves game against Rochdale Reserves.

“A mild afternoon at the Meddah, two young sides appearing with some looking barely owd enough that there clackerbags have just dropped,more suited to singing falsetto in the school choir there pink oboes dipped in TCP for the headmasters inspection, anyway enough of my youth… It was quite an open game from the start and at about five minutes an effort stung the Dale keepers gloves with a rasping drive, Jermaine Turner also looking influential in the opening 15 minutes.”

“Dale were starting to play the better football especially down the flanks, a free kick 20 yars out was smartly saved by Cameron Gregory and moments later Dale could have broke the deadlock when the very lively Fabio Taveres crossed across the 6 yard box but no one was able to touch it in. A deflected shot from the best Salop player on the pitch Luke McCormick resulted in another Town corner after some good link up play with the Shop. Taveres again had a hell of a chance to break the deadlock doing the hardwork to take it round Gregory on the edge of the 18 yard box but somehow shooting wide.”

“Salop’s best effort of the first half was a glancing header from the Shop, he really should have done better. Somehow 0-0 at half time but both sides looked decent going forward.”

“Opening goal was taken very well from Luke Mccormick cutting in from the left hand side and blasting in the bottom right hand corner, Dales defence was more wobbly than a Costa Barista assistant with tourettes an utterly horrendous backpass was intercepted by the Shop who laid it on to Archie Elmore who slotted in for 2-0. Got to admit Elmores introduction made a big difference in our forward play looked more direct, a name to look out for.”

“The two centre halfs one of which was a trailist and young Tom Davies were impressive at the back, a third from Ethan O’Toole and Salop were running riot, the fourth soon followd yet another howler and Luke Mc slots in FOR A FOURTH!”

“Lenny went off after 65 minutes and Dale got back in to the game to make it 4-1, bit of a scrappy last 20 minutes and despite being three goals down they were still trying to play good football , ended 4-1 could say the scoreline flattered us a bit but saying that we had oppurtunities to increase our tally.”

“Out of the 3 pros that started – Gregory in goal was overall decent, good save from free kick, couple of shaky moments handling and distribution wise but overall ok, Lenny had a decent game overall too some good link up play, looks fitter by the game but downside he failed to take 2 easish chances, will he be here post January I’m not so sure to be honest but always a 100 per center though.

Luke McCormick was Salops best player easily, passing was spot on worked well with John-Lewis, he played quite an advanced role, took his two goals well, maybe back in consideration for a place in the 18 vs Mansfield but as seen in the rigours of League One football is he man enough to do it, looked lightweight at times, but his ability with the ball cant be questioned.”

“Out of the rest, the pick for me was young Tom Davies the centre half maybe could have done better clearing it for the Dale goal but overall very composed distribution was half decent too plus Archie Elmore who was lively as hell and a major contributory factor in a glut of goals early second half. To Mansfield Saturday and another day of jollops, jiggling sprouts udders and general owd nonsense.”

“Love And Jollops, Biz”

Be sure to follow our resident Shrewsbury Town super fan on Twitter @Bizzylad

Bizzy

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

This weeks fan of the week is Rhys Gratton.

Where are you from?

Shrewsbury.

How long have you supported Shrewsbury?

Since about 2007.

What was the first game you went to?

Shrewsbury 1-0 Bradford, the first league game at the new stadium.

Who is your favourite Town player of all time?

Ryan Woods, a great young player and I walked out with him as a mascot in 2015 against Hartlepool.

Who is your favourite Salop manager of all time?

Graham Turner, a club legend playing, managing and guided us to two promotions.

Which do you prefer Gay Meadow or Montgomery Waters Meadow?

I never got to go to the Gay Meadow so would have to be the Montgomery Waters Meadow.

What has been your favourite away game?

Stoke last season, just an incredible night all round. I just remember the roof coming off when Josh Laurent scored.

What has been your favourite moment as a Shrewsbury Town fan?

Either James Collins sending us up in 2012 against Dagenham or Carlton Morris’ goal against Charlton in the playoffs. But it would probably be 2012 because that ended in promotion.

What is your favourite Salop kit?

Has to be the scrambled egg style shirt, absolutely iconic.

Where do you think we will finish this season?

Top half, potentially pushing playoffs. I think we’ve built really well this summer and it could be a successful one for us.

Why do you love supporting Shrewsbury Town?

Because it’s a family, and I don’t think any other team can possibly put you through every single emotion so many times each season.

Massive thanks to Rhys 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

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We asked the Salopian super fan, Bizzy for his thoughts on our home League One game against Bristol Rovers.

“As the owd Sgt. Major used to say to me during the Ballbag conflict “pop your bot on the spot Bizzylad or i’ll shove a bayonette up it.” A veritable myriad of emotions watching that 90 minutes yesterday, have to say the better team won though.”

“Salops backline had a day to forget yesterday as they looked nervy and unsteady from the off, the normally dependable Omar had a shocker yesterday but he wasnt the only one, Beckles’ decision making and distribution left alot to be desired but everyone has a off day. Another player who went from hero to zero after Bradford was Dave Edwards, he had little or no effect on the game at all, looked laboured and struggled to get to grips with a slick passing Rovers side. Out of the starting eleven the only one who can really hold his head up high is Josh Laurent how many times can we say that brilliant again. The trickery of Whalley was a big miss and upset the balance of the side a bit, felt for Cummings a bit as he looked very isolated as a loan striker and although he offered little was a bit puzzling to replace him with the Shop, the additions of Fejiri and the livewire Giles who was buzzing around like Phil Mitchell after a ketamin injection were hugely influential in bringing Salop back to 3-3. The Ogogo winner was a dagger in the owd windpipe but make no bones about it Rovers were the superior on the day.”

“Stonewall pen at 1-0 no doubts at all, Mr Sailsbury is to referreing is to what Bobby Davro is to comedy shocking officiating which is becoming all to commonplace in the lower leagues.”

“A day to forget defensive wise but all teams have a off day its how you bounce back and react to it is the thing, so not overly concerned about yesterdays blip, we did look what we are though and thats a mid table side. As i used to sing about my owd sprout Deirdre “you can wash her in lime, you can wash her in soda but you will never get rid of that Billinsgate odour” Sure we will bounce back again next week in the Cup.”

“Love n jollops Biz”

Be sure to follow our resident Shrewsbury Town super fan on Twitter @Bizzylad

Bizzy

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Our man who travels home and away following the mighty Shrewsbury Town Rhys Gratton, gives his views on Town’s defeat against Bristol Rovers.

Shrewsbury Town V Bristol Rovers (23/11/2019)

“Before today’s game I spoke to a visiting Bristol Rovers fan, who told me about their apparently defensive style of play, given Salop’s similarities the game looked destined for certain nil nil. That didn’t quite pan out.”

“From the get go it was clear that nil nil was not going to be an option, not because of quality from either side but a sheer lack of it. Not even ten minutes in Omar Beckles inexplicably tried to turn his man on the edge of his own box when a simple pass back to Murphy was the best option. He gave the ball away and was relieved to only concede a corner. For about thirty seconds. From the resulting corner Tony Craig had a free header as a result of some poor marking and made it one nil to the Gas. Only a few minutes later Town put their first real passage of play together with Louis Thompson bursting down the right wing before being clearly pushed to the ground from behind. A stonewall penalty. Only it wasn’t. Referee Graeme Salisbury did not point to the spot for reasons only he knows, and a maul ensued with players and coaches from both sides getting involved. The referee made a meal of it and had lost control, taking him a good 3 or 4 minutes to get the game restarted and booking five players, including three Salopians. Not long after that a tame shot from Rovers’ captain Ollie Clarke deflected past Murphy to give the visitors a two goal lead. By this point the home fans were extremely frustrated, turning on the team and giving the ref plenty of stick every time he gave a decision against the Shrews. With less than ten minutes to go before the break Shrewsbury desperately needed something to break their way. That appeared to have happened when Gas captain and scorer of the second goal Ollie Clarke put in a horror challenge on Donald Love. That type of challenge would normally result in a red card, but of course today it was just a yellow, another abysmal decision from Salisbury. However there was a sizeable silver lining from the incident, as Aaron Pierre took the ball down, beat two defenders and layed it off to Josh Laurent, who put a sweetly hit shot into the back of the net. Town were well in the ascendency but couldn’t carve out another opening before the break.”

“Despite the scoreline and refereeing performance the mood was positive at the break, a testament to how Salop finished the first half. That lasted all of about 90 seconds after the restart. A simple ball over the top of Town’s defense looked to be easy enough for the two covering defenders to deal with, that was until Joe Murphy came sprinting out of his goal for a reason that I don’t think even he knows, to gift the ball to Liam Sercombe who looped it into an empty net to restore Rovers’ two goal lead. Shrewsbury did regain a foothold after that and were back in it once again just after the hour mark. An Ollie Norburn free kick from a crossing position was wickedly struck and evaded everyone including Anssi Jaakola in the visitor’s net and Salop were once again within reach. Minutes later a Scott Golbourne cross initially pinballed around in the area before Josh Laurent took control and smuggled the ball home for his second and Town’s third to level the game. With the way Shrewsbury were playing a fourth and probable winner seemed only to be a matter of time. But for whatever reason the tactics changed to become more conservative and play for a draw, which in the circumstances would still have been a good result. Alas it was not to be, another cross resulting in a goal in the final minutes of play, as the ball fell in the box to be slid home by none other than Abu Ogogo, just to rub salt into Town’s wounds. That would prove to be the killer blow in a match that had almost everything, but no points for Salop.”

“Overall a very entertaining game made that way by plenty of utter ineptitude at the back from both sides in which no one played particularly well for either side, however my man of the match is Josh Laurent simply for his two goals.”

“UP THE SHREWS!”

Rhys Gratton

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Here at “Going Down The Oteley Road” we will be speaking to fans of our opposition throughout the season. Ahead of our home League One game against Bristol Rovers, we had a chat with a Pirates fan.

What’s your name?

Andy Monks

Where are you from?

Born in Bristol but now lived in Newport, Wales for the last 4 years.

How long have you supported Bristol Rovers?

I’m 40 and went to my first game aged 5, so 35 years.

Who is your favourite ever Bristol Rovers player?

Andy Tillson, model professional on and off the pitch plus he rarely had a bad game.

Who is your favourite ever Bristol Rovers manager?

Gerry Francis. Beating Bristol City to the title in 1990, need I say more!

Who should we watch out for from the current Bristol Rovers team?

Jonson Clarke-Harris. The guy is unreal, pace and power with a finish to match. He won’t be in League One for long.

Where do you think you will finish in the League this season?

Depends on our business in January, if we can keep Clarke-Harris and add one or two we could sneak into the play offs, sell Clarke-Harris and we will finish around 12th.

What do you know about Shrewsbury?

My main memories of Shrewsbury are the old Gay Meadow and throwing Weetabix around before the game! Was a tradition after one lunchtime kick off and a kid was sent to get everyone breakfast for the journey up and instead of buying bacon sarnies came back with boxes of the cereal instead! Every game thereafter we had it in the away end.

What do you think the score will be?

2-1 to Rovers.

Big thanks to Andy, hope you enjoy the game.

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Sam Northwood previews tomorrow’s home League 1 game against Bristol Rovers.

Town will host Bristol Rovers in the “weetabix Derby” on Saturday. Hoping to continue their recent form and sneak into the play offs in a couple of weeks.

Last time the 2 clubs played each other was last season in which both encounters finished 1-1, neither game was memorable in which was a forgettable season.

Bristol Rovers currently sit one place above Town in 10th place and have had a very inconsistent season up to now. Their main danger man will be striker Jonson Clarke Harris who knows where the net is and has already scored a lot of goals this season. Former Town duo Abu Ogogo and Alex Rodman could well feature.

Daniel Udoh is now back in training but this game will come slightly to early for him. The main talking point of the team news will be which of the 4 centre backs will be left out and whether Dave Edwards will get a start after his impressive cameo on Tuesday night.

Predicted XI’s

Shrewsbury Town:

O’Leary

Pierre

Ebanks Landell

Beckles

Love

Norburn

Laurent

Edwards

Golbourne

Whalley

Cummings

Bristol Rovers:

Jaakkola

Little

Craig

Kilgour

Kelly

Rodman

Ogogo

Upson

O’Clarke

Sercombe

Clarke Harris

Score Prediction: Shrewsbury Town 2-0 Bristol Rovers

Sam Northwood

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Long time Town fan and a man who knows a lot about his Salop history, Adam Rodgers takes a look back at a past game against tomorrow’s opponents Bristol Rovers.

Bristol Rovers 3-1 Shrewsbury Town 26/05/07

This Saturday we welcome Bristol Rovers to the Meadow in a crunch mid table battle between two teams who have realistic play off aspirations if only they can string some results together. Both will be well aware though that they could easily slide down to the troublesome end of the table if they have a tough winter. Great opportunity for town to go within sniffing distance of the top 6 and stunt the progress of a rival at the same time.

Looking back through my dusty parchments on which the history of English football is written, Town have not always had their own way against Gas but in recent years results have made pleasurable reading. 4 wins and only 1 defeat in our last 7 league meetings including dishing out a 4-0 drubbing to Rovers 2 years ago with all the goals coming in the first half. Other standout results from our extensive history with Rovers include a 7-2 win followed by a 7-0 defeat in the early 1960’s. Must’ve still been the days of 2-3-5 formations!

One meeting that stands out amongst all others (mainly for the wrong reasons) is when we met at the sparkling new Wembley stadium in the league two play off final in 2007. Gary Peters had steadied the Shrewsbury Town ship and thanks to some dogged defending and decent array of strikers we found ourselves in the play off final. Sadly the match was a step too far for Town and after surprise scorer Stewart Drummond gave town the lead it was pretty much all downhill from there. Town fans had barely got over the shock of the pre match food and drink when Drummond struck in the third minute. Richard Walker turned things around with 2 strikes before half time and Sammy Igoe put the result beyond doubt in the 90th minute with a goal on the break as Town pushed for an equaliser. It took Town a further 5 seasons to escape league two and move into the promised land of league one.

Back to Saturday’s match and I’m predicting a hard fought 1-0 victory for Town with some standard solid defending and a cheeky set piece goal.

Adam Rodgers

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We’ve been lucky enough at “Going Down The Oteley Road” to speak to some ex Shrewsbury Town players and members of staff, this week we spoke to ex striker Jody Banim.

How did it feel making your debut for Shrewsbury Town?

Very proud moment for me. It was a midweek match against Telford United who were in the same league at the time and was a big derby. It wasn’t great, to be honest, it finished nil nil, but I came on and did quite well, I was given the man of the match after the game. 

You were a prolific goal scorer, what was your secret?

Don’t think there’s a secret to scoring goals, you just have to keep putting yourself in positions to score them. The higher you play, the more difficult that becomes. I was an instinctive finisher and player, so that helps when you’re in front of goal. 

Of the many goals you scored, was a favourite goal?

The goal I scored for Shrewsbury Live on Sky is up there to be fair. It was used for the what happened next segment on Question of Sport the week after, which I was watching at the time and had no idea it was going to be used. The phone went mad for an hour or so after!

I recall you scoring from the half way line for Shrewsbury, how did it feel when that hit the back of the net? 

I actually did it twice. My only 2 goals I think! haha 

What was it like playing at Gay Meadow?

Loved it. It was a proper ground, not like the new ones you see today. They’re all a bit clinical for me and devoid of any character. 

Who was the best player you played with in Blue and Amber?

I played with a few to be fair, Joe Hart, Dave Edwards, Lowey, Cramby and I’ll have to mention Sam Aiston as well, or he’ll sulk!

Who was the best player you came up against for Shrewsbury?

No one sticks out, to be honest. I was more concerned with myself and the team. 

You played under Jimmy Quinn while in Shropshire, how was that?

Not a great experience to be honest. He was a very poor man-manager and never even attempted to develop me as a player. I was flying when the club signed me, I got man of the match on my debut, scored in my 2nd game and man of the match in my 3rd game. I then didn’t start a game for 3 months. It really affected my confidence. When I did get to start again, I got 60 minutes and I felt like I had no trust. I enjoyed playing for Shrewsbury and I’m thankful for the opportunity, I just wish it had been under a different manager. 

What made you decide to be a striker?

I just scored goals from an early age, so it was never a question of where I’d play. I did drop further back as I got older and did play centre mid for Burton Albion a few times but mostly played as a 10 after I left Shrewsbury Town.

Who was the biggest influence on your career?

I’d say, my Mum. She was the one that drove me everywhere and always supported and believed in me. 

Who was the biggest joker in the changing room at Shrewsbury? 

There was a few to be fair. I’ve always enjoyed Sam Aiston’s company to be fair though, so I’ll say him. 

Which players from the current Town squad do you like the look of?

I’d have to say Dave Edwards. Only because I played with him. 

Where do you think Shrewsbury will finish this season in League One?

They’ll be a little transitional this season with the new manager coming in and trying to put his stamp on things. I think they can push towards the playoffs though, as he seems to have recruited some real experience. 

What football team do you support?

Man Utd.

Who was your favourite player as a child?

Eric Cantona.

Why do you love football?

Because it’s given me some of the greatest experiences of my life and continues to do so. 

Huge thanks to Jody for chatting with us about his time at Shrewsbury and for bringing back some great memories from years gone by.

For more content like this keep an eye on our our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/GoingDownTheOteleyRoad/ and on Twitter @GDTORsalop

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We asked the Salopian super fan, Bizzy for his thoughts on our FA Cup replay against Bradford City.

“Freezing cowd owd night in the metropolitan urban West Yorkshire sprawl, but a bloody great result for the lads and deserved in the end too. Make no bones about it the spectacle was hardly enduring on the eyes but sheer blood and guts earned us the win.”

“Think its 1 defeat in 10 now and only 2 in 14 games in all competitions, slowly but surely Ricketts is finding a formula to get results very similar to Hurst and the solidness at the back is the foundation again. Last night utterly outstanding backline, the pick for me was Omar Beckles, what a season the owd mon is having a slight criticism maybe his is distrubution but thats to be expected from a lower league centre half but he was an utter rock last night. Some brilliant challenges and blocks, theres a definite confidence and swagger about him got to applaud Samuel and his staff on aiding his improvement you can see Omars enjoying his footy again brilliant to see.”

“A big thumbs up to Joe Murphy for the save of the season last night in the first half it was pure instinct but got a realy strong arm to it. Salop looked laboured a bit at times first half, fair play Brad Walker deserved his spot after his performance against Macclesfield, but is far to similar to Norbs so no creativity at all until the game changer was the introduction of Edwards on about 55 minutes, it opened the game up for Salop. I know i rave about him in every post i do but his quality was there for all to see, how clever a footballer is this lad? Finds space where others don’t, simple yet effective passing, an ability to draw opposition players to him giving space to the others, not a 90 minute man anymore but bloody effective. Got to admit his goal looked offside from my angle but will take it.”

“Shauny Whalley was buzzing around like Ricketts had crushed some illegal Taiwanesse blue pills over his tropical fruit muesli,where does he get his energy from? We proper frustrated Bradford in the second half, could see them getting wound up. Got to applaud everyone for there effort last night including Jason Cummings who worked tirelessly without any real reward. Ricketts is almost building a siege mentality at Salop, i’ve been critical of him in the past and got to say its not pleasing to view at times but bloody hell it works when the results are positive, we all saw that under Hurst.”

“To the second round and a winnable home game against Mansfield, don’t want to count our chickens but the dream of a home or away tie against the only team in the 92 we’ve never played Spurs could await, thats the one i want. Huge game Saturday beforehand with Rovers in a similar position to us so a win will get the teams above us ruffled a bit. I think Salop are starting to get a few sphincters contracting already as we are a horrible nuisance side to play against with a defence tighter and more secure than the padlock on Claire Rayners G string. Roll on the weekend its great to look forward to the footy again.”

“Up The Bloody Town, Biz”

Be sure to follow our resident Shrewsbury Town super fan on Twitter @Bizzylad

Bizzy

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/