This weeks Fan Of The Week is one of the faces of the Club Shop, Si Evans.

Where are you from?

Minsterley.

How long have you supported Shrewsbury?

I think I’m about to start my 25th season as a Town fan. 25 years man and boy, hardest game in the world.

What was the first game you went to?

Bristol City, a 4-1 win.. I dont remember much of it strangely, I cant profress to being over awed by the floodlights or things that people usually say – that came later..

Who is your favourite Town player of all time?

Tommy Lynch, without a shadow of doubt, I have always loved the ‘No-Nonsense’ type of player and preferred them to the flair types… Tommy would get that ball no matter what, if he had to take you with it he would! – that sort of player has been phased out a little now.. its a shame because it was a joy to behold often seeing the fiery haired defender sending an opposition player through the air in front of the family stand!

Who is your favourite Salop manager of all time?

Tough call really, different managers have achieved different things in someway – I loved the teams under Gary Peters, he had a squad of players who may not have been the best we have seen, but they were a squad of players who you could tell loved playing for us.. the Ben Herds, Neil Ashtons and co – Marc Tierney loved a tackle in the same way as Tommy Lynch, then you had the flair of Ben Davies and Asamoah – we also have Leo Fortune West to thank him for! – but, overall, I have to say Graham Turner, he finally achieved what we had been waiting for for so long, a really nice gentleman too and to achieve promotions over 30 years apart with the same club shows what a manager he was..

Which do you prefer Gay Meadow or Montgomery Waters Meadow?

The romantic in me will always say Gay Meadow, but the Montgomery Waters Meadow has totally revolutionised us as a club, and turned us from one who would tread water in League Two, to one who is genuinely looking at making the Championship –

What has been your favourite away game?

MK Dons away in the Playoff final, 2k odd Town fans belting out Hey Jude, two Cookie goals and shutting down a team full of arrogance!

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

A few, beating Bury away in the Playoffs, the MK Dons game, Promotion at Cheltenham

What is your favourite Salop kit?

Probably the 05-07 one – the one which resembled the Ajax shirt from the last season at the Medda

Where do you think we will finish this season?

I have stopped predicting now, – but looking at the signings we have made I see no reason why if we hit the ground running we cant not expect to have a degree of success!

Why do you love supporting Shrewsbury Town?

Because its in the blood, you cant explain or define it.

Massive thanks to Si 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 take a look back at what happened over the past seven days in the wonderful world of Shrewsbury Town.

MONDAY – Ryan Barnett celebrated his birthday.

TUESDAY – A young Salop side lost in the Shropshire Senior Cup Final to Whitchurch Alport 2-0.

WEDNESDAY – Ex Town striker Marvin Morgan was back at Montgomery Waters Meadow to film for his Fresh Ego Kid brand.

THURSDAY – Sam Ricketts spoke to the press ahead of the Fleetwood game stating that it would be a good test for Salop.

FRIDAY – Kevin Johnson was named as the man in the middle for Saturdays game against Fleetwood Town.

SATURDAY – Salop fell to a 3-0 home defeat against Joey Barton’s Fleetwood Town in which the Town failed to put up much of a fight.

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We asked the Salopian super fan, Bizzy for his thoughts on our game against Fleetwood Town.

“An utterly deflating afternoon yesterday at the Meddah .. a lot walked out early and there were boo’s at full time and you could hardly blame them because the second half is as bad as it gets under Samuels reign.”

“Started off brightly to be fair and had three good chances to take the lead, please tell me how Giles missed that or at least not gone on target ??? Big fan of his but its safe to say hes faded since his brilliant start to the season, first touch poor and not getting back to defend. The same can be said for Donald Love (two fine players though so dont want to be over critical) Once Fleetwood scored it was game over sadly you could see the confidence drain from them, defensively very shaky yesterday shouldn’t single out Beckles but he looked like a rabbit in the headlights yesterday, I winced every time the ball went near him and it unsettled the two other centre backs.”

“Second half was very poor, seemed to lack cohesion and any kind of plan, lacked the battle and guts to win the second ball. When the midfield had it the ball seemed like a hot potato to them, the most concerning aspect for me yesterday was the sheer lack of urgency from the bench and the players on the field. We were 2-0 down and not one player wanted to take the bull by the horns, no leadership from the bench and the players. Cummings was one example, they seemed unsure on what there jobs were.”

“Fleetwood were very workmanlike and effective, not the best team I’ve seen here by a long mile but they truly did a number on us and we had simply no answer, the stubbornness to stick with 3-5-2 was another factor yesterday.”

“Salop had a couple of chances at 3 down but it was already cheerio rigsbys cat (goodnight Vienna)”

“An utter scrotum of a performance but we must dust ourselves down and learn from it but gotta admit it was the first admit yesterday i was truly concerned by Ricketts leadership qualities.”

Man Of The Match was Callum Lang just for the sheer effort he put in, good footballer all round.”

“The squad on paper is alot better than 12 months ago and arguably better than Hursts golden season, whether Ricketts has the quality to manage them remains to be seen I’m still confident he can.”

“Love and Jollops Biz x”

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

Bizzy

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Our young inspirational reporter and massive Shrewsbury Town fan Corbin gives us his thoughts on yesterday’s home defeat to Fleetwood Town.

“Shrewsbury back at home on a Saturday for what has felt like ages our opponents Fleetwood Town flying high near the top of the table.”

“After completing The Step Up Challenge and a McDonalds later it was time for the match,

Ricketts with one change Cummings back in replacing Whalley.”

“The game started and we were on the front foot from the off, we started with a lot of energy we were passing the ball without any pressure and people were still taking their seats when Sean Goss tried chipping their goalie from the half way line and the ball nearly went in. A few moments later another tester from edge of the box went just over, Callum Lang beat their full back to the ball wiggled inside and cut it back to Giles who should have taken his time rather than blast it over.”

“Next up was Jason Cummings who again just blasted over like those before him. 30 mins played and we looked good at 0-0, it was but Fleetwood offered very little then a corner for Fleetwood on 36 mins, that was headed against the bar and then bounced onto Lang and ended up in the net despite Beckles efforts to keep it out. That seemed to change our approach and we became sloppy and panicking on the ball Donald Love guilty of giving ball away too often. Ebanks Llandell injury on 45 mins, in the second half showed how we missed his composure.”

“Second half we tried to press but the second Fleetwood goal killed us off, during the build up Morris looked offside before play was switched right to left a hopeful ball into the box was bundled home by Morris due to some sloppy defending. Ricketts made changes Whalley for Cummings and Udoh for Ro Shaun, which meant a change of shape but it did little to change the game Fleetwood had their tails up and were pressing high. The referee conned on a number of times with Fleetwood players diving with little or no contact to win freekicks to break game up.”

“Paddy Madden who always seems to score against us came on and shortly after a 50 yard punt Giles watched it go over him and the winger got in behind before crossing to Madden who smashed it into the top corner to make it 3-0 and send the 150 Fleetwood fans mental. This in turn caused a number of home fans to head for the exit. The drama didn’t end there as Joey Barton was booked for having a go at Ricketts but it didn’t change the result.”

“Except the first 30 minutes we lost our first league home game of the Season to a team we always struggle against and a team with the win that put them third in the early season table. We didn’t play well today and at times made them look good maybe teams have seen how we now play and have sussed us out a bit, we do seem to play better against teams that just defend for a point.”

“Today started off very well and ended disappointed but it won’t put me off going to Tranmere next Saturday, a place I have never been to and they lost 4-1 today so could be an interesting game against our old boss Micky Mellon.

“My Man Of The Match was Callum Lang, our new on loan forward ran all game, chased lost causes, chased missed placed passes and set up Giles for a glorious chance at 0-0”

Thanks to Corbin for his thoughts on the game against Fleetwood Town.

Corbin Davies

“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 3-0 defeat to Fleetwood.

Shrewsbury Town V Fleetwood Town (28/9/2019)

“Today’s game saw Salop welcome high flying Fleetwood to the Meadow. The visitors had invested big in the summer, with some marquee signings such as Paul Coutts and Ched Evans. Town’s side saw Jason Cummings return to the starting 11 with Shaun Whalley dropping back down to the bench.”

“The first twenty minutes of the game saw Shrewsbury dominate, with Sean Goss’ audacious attempt from the centre circle nearly beating Alex Cairns in the Fleetwood net. Town should have taken the lead minutes later, when Callum Lang brought the ball to the by line before laying it off to Ryan Giles on the edge of the six yard box, but he fired way over the bar. After the opening spell of the game Fleetwood started to show their class, and took the lead after some shambolic defending from a corner saw Jimmy Dunne have a free header, and despite the initial effort hitting the bar, it hit the desperately unlucky Callum Lang and bounced over the line to give the 130-odd travelling Cod Army cause to celebrate at half time.”

“With one change already having been made by the hosts, with the injured Ethan Ebanks Landell being replaced by Aaron Pierre, things had to improve. They did not. In fact the second half performance was up there with the worst halves of football since Sam Ricketts took over. Not much more than 10 minutes after the restart Fleetwood very easily made it two nil. The call for wingers to be played has been very loud all season amongst much of the fanbase and they finally got their wish when Ro Shaun Williams was replaced by Shaun Whalley, converting the team from a 5-3-2 formation to a 4-3-3. It backfired and badly. Not only did Salop not have anything going forward, they also looked even shakier at the back. Just past the 80 minute mark a Paddy Madden wonderstrike from the edge of the area killed Shrewsbury off once and for all, although truthfully a comeback never even looked like a remote possibility.”

“Overall, a very poor performance from Shrewsbury saw a well deserved hammering from an excellent Fleetwood side, who will be up there come the end of the season. My man of the match is Callum Lang, because quite frankly, he’s the only one who was 100% commited for the entire 90 minutes.”

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 League 1 game at Fleetwood Town, we had a chat with a Fleetwood fan who is their Supporter Liaison Officer.

What’s your name?

Wayne Bibby

Where are you from?

Fleetwood

How long have you supported Fleetwood?

All my life

Who is your favourite ever Fleetwood player?

Phil Clarkson, watched him progress from school football to Fleetwood, then at one stage became Fleetwood Town’s biggest sale, when he went to Crewe.

Who is your favourite ever Fleetwood manager?

Mickey Mellon for how he helped Fleetwood with their progressive football. Joey is on his way to overtaking him if he carries on the way he is.

Who should we watch out for from the current Fleetwood team?

Ched Evans, no need to explain.

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

Winning the championship.

What do you know about Shrewsbury Town?

Most thought of player for Shrewsbury is Nigel Jempson. Also is a beautiful part of the country.

What do you think the score will be?

2-1 to the cods.

Big thanks to Wayne, hope you enjoy the game.

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Ahead of today’s League One game against Fleetwood we asked fans what they think the score will be.

Will Smith – “0-0”

Matthew Nightingale – “4-0”

Daniel Bishton – “1-0 Town, Cummings late on”

Richard Vernon – “2-1”

Craig Axl Evans – “5-0 Beckles bullet header”

Logan Clarke – “0-0”

Rhys Gratton – “Another hard fought 0-0”

Stephen Whittall – “2-2 just slapped £5 on it 12/1”

Scott Lewis-Bullock – “1-0 Town”

Luke Peden – “3-1 Town”

Daz Carding – “2-0 Salop”

Tim Cousin – “3-1 Salop”

Anthony John Dyke – “0-0”

Kelly Marie – “3-1 Town. Cummings, Giles and Beckles”

Robert Leah – “2 nil Town. COYB”

Rosemary Brown – “2-1”

Fabien Holland – “2-1 Town, Norburn and Lang to score”

Christopher Geisler – “Nil Nil”

Mark Evans – “0-0”

Corbin Davies – “3-1 to the Town”

Daz Davies – “2-1, Cummings to come up trumps”

Val Harvey – “4-1”

Jason Leonard – “2-0”

Phil Davies – “Tough game so saying 2-2”

Most fans thinking we are going to be 3 points better off at 5 tonight, a few draws thrown in there too.

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

@GDTORsalop

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Sam Northwood previews tomorrow’s home League 1 game against Fleetwood Town.

Following on from last Saturday’s hard fought draw at Rotherham. Town will host a well fancied Fleetwood side managed by hot head Joey Barton.

Last time the two clubs met was on New Years Day 2019 in what was a boring game to say the least which finished 0-0. Both clubs will be hoping for a better game but it will be a tight affair.

Fleetwood have made a good start to the season currently sitting in 4th place with a game in hand. They have a strong side which includes Paul Coutts, Ched Evans and Josh Morris who could all no doubt hurt the Shrews. I think both teams will push for the playoffs at least this season so it will be an interesting game.

With Town failing to score at Rotherham it will be interesting to see who will partner Lang. A fully fit Cummings will no doubt start games but whether he is fully fit yet is another question. It’s likely Whalley will start the game again with Cummings and Udoh coming off the bench. I think Morison will struggle for game time now especially when Fejiri is back from injury.

Score Prediction – Shrewsbury Town1-0 Fleetwood Town

Predicted XI’s

Shrewsbury Town:

O’Leary

Beckles

Ebanks Landell

Williams

Love

Goss

Laurent

Norburn

Giles

Lang

Whalley

Fleetwood Town:

Gilks

Coyle

Clarke

Dunne

Andrew

Coutts

Rossiter

Dempsey

Burns

Evans

Morris

Sam Northwood

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

We asked the Salopian super fan, Bizzy for his thoughts on our game against Whitchurch Alport.

“First like to say well done to the owd support that Alport brought with them last night must have been a good 250 plus in the crowd of 444, they were a credit to their club and a club that is definitley going places.”

“Another cracker of a game i thought considering Alport are 5 levels below the football league and Salops X1 was made up mainly of academy players i thought the quality on display was second to none, open and attractive from both sides. Salop were defintley the better side 1st half, Rowland (yet again) and Ryan Barnett the pick of the bunch. First 45 minutes how it was 0-0 at half time im not sure, the quality of McCormick shone sporadically in patches but got to say he’s a bit too lightweight to be in contention for the first team, not entirley sure what good these premier league u23 sides do to players, some who make the step up just dont seem equipped for senior football.”

“Half time came and thats where the balance of the game changed, Towns youngsters seem to be on the backfoot a bit more. Alports man of the match Steve Jones was causing Town a manor of problems and despite an owd bugger up from Aguis in goal, Alport took a deserved lead.”

“Salop still were trying to get forward though, Rowland and Barnett in the mix of it again but the quality of Jones shown again to make it 2, must admit got to wonder what a player of his quality is doing playing in the North West Counties League.”

“Owd Salop got a bit stronger then and got a deserved goal back but you could see some of the academy lads starting to look physically and mentally tired, not suprising as much as it was such a frantic game.”

“Alport added a third, the noise from the faithful was brilliant, they were deserved winners in the end and in size are defintley Shropshires number three club now. Going to have to visit Yockings Park soon and sample the new clubhouse and libatory fermented frivolity on offer.”

“Salops night was a tale of two halves looked very strong first 45 but the lack of bite upfront cost us, second half some of the lads tired but its great experience for them to play on the stadium pitch infront of a noisy crowd and against a mens team so we shudnt be too disheartened.”

“Man Of The Match for me was Brad Walker, led from the back and his use of the ball was second to none. The best of the four pros on display tonight.”

“Good to do the report again after some jobsworth stewarding prevented me doing so at Rotherham, less said about that the better. Going to be a very tricky game vs Fleetwood, you know Joey Barton will come here well organised and looking to stop us play, so a 0-0 or 1-0 could be on the cards.”

Up the owd Salop!

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

Bizzy

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/

Ahead of tonight’s Shropshire Senior Cup Final against Whitchurch Alport we asked fans what they think the score will be.

Charlie Wilkinson – “2-1 Town COYB”

Jonny Harris – “Lose on pens”

Andy Forrester – “3-1 Shrews”

Martin Wall – “3-2 Salop aet”

Dale Skitt – “I’ve seen Whitchurch twice this season, they are a decent side in good form, as we’re fielding a very young side this evening I don’t think this will be as straight forward as some may think, I’ll go for a 2-2 draw and Salop to win on pens”

Here’s hoping the young Salop side do us proud and keep the cup in Shrewsbury.

Daz Carding

“Going Down The Oteley Road”

@GDTORsalop

https://goingdowntheoteleyroad.home.blog/