Starting with today’s matchup at the Croud Meadow against Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury Town head coach Gareth Ainsworth has asked his Salop team to win their next two games for him.
After just 13 seconds, the quickest in professional English football, former Gas striker John Marquis was sent off, forcing the Shropshire team to play the entire game away to Peterborough United on Saturday with just 10 men.
Although they fell to a 3-1 defeat, the 51-year-old was visibly full of pride for his team’s endeavour and admitted that he would have taken six points from games against Posh, Rovers and away at Exeter City on Saturday as they look to put themselves back in strong contention for survival.
There’s little things here [to work on] but that first half performance, we really rolled our sleeves up and went, ‘we’re not going to accept this,” Ainsworth exclaimed to local media after the defeat at Peterborough. “We’re not going to accept 10 men after 13 seconds and we’re not going to lie down and let anyone turn us over now. We’re in a fight here’ and the reaction, I’m hoping every Shrewsbury fans says, ‘great reaction’.
It’s a sign that we’re not going to roll over and let people just beat us. We are a team that are out to win.
Before the start of the week, with these three games I would have taken six points. This just means that the boys have got to win the next two for me because I would take six points. I think most would say two out of three will keep us in the hunt. [We’ve] got to beat Bristol [Rovers] and Exeter now and that’s what’s on the cards.”
Shrewsbury are currently bottom of the League One table and eight points from safety with 12 games remaining going into their clash with Rovers who are only two points above the drop zone themselves.
Salop’s form since Ainsworth’s arrival in November had majorly picked up but a run of four consecutive defeats with just one point collected in their last five games has seen the Shropshire side return to the foot of the table with survival looking a tough ask.
However, a win over the Gas on home turf could massively boost their survival chances while possibly dragging their visitors into the relegation zone with them depending on results elsewhere ahead of another game against a relegation rival in Exeter this weekend.
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