Matthew Pennington and David Davis react after conceding a goal in Cheltenham, Town’s last away game (AMA)
Steve Cotterill Believes Bad Away Record Is Partly Due To Style (AMA)
City returns tonight with a trip to runner-up promotion candidate Wigan in League One street action, with a clash against fighting Doncaster on the horizon on the horizon.
While many of Shrewsbury’s recent improvements have been made at Montgomery Waters Meadow in recent months – they rank 12th on the road in the FA Cup with five wins out of 10 in the league.
Town only scored two points on their travels in Sheffield Wednesday and Lincoln City draws.
This run contrasts with Cotterill’s takeover of the club a year ago when he started off leading a defensive city to a memorable counterattack in three of the top four at the time.
“We want to get a few more positive results in the league,” said Cotterill before the trip to the DW Stadium. “The (FA) Cup will always take care of itself, but in the league we obviously want to get some points away from home.
“We did very well at home, but we weren’t lucky away from home this year.”
The manager said over the summer that he was interested in developing Town’s style of play, away from a defensive, “low-block” team.
But the early fights this season, when goals and conceded goals were rare, resulted in, the coach admits, forcing Shrews to come back to what they knew in order to be more compact.
Cotterill, whose team has lost only once in seven in the league and the FA Cup, believes a more adventurous squad and style are a factor in his side’s struggles in the league.
“It’s a different team than last year. Last year’s team was built to sit in this low block, ”he said. “But then you end up whipping your strikers in this system. It’s a means to an end.
“If you open up and want to be a little more offensive, like we’re doing this season, then you put defenders a little more one-on-one, but that’s all part of the transition.
“Because you can’t go on winning like we won in this block last season.
“Is it a coincidence that Dan Udoh has a better season as a striker than last season because we don’t do that this season?
“Dan has already scored more goals this season than last year. Because we are more aggressive, you will make more concessions. “
Cotterill added, “And what wasn’t mentioned, this league is going to be strong, with bigger clubs and when you go to bigger stadiums the umpires sometimes give in to the pressure of the crowd.
“It didn’t exist last year, this structure and the crescendo that can affect a referee in one way or another. I think that’s another factor. “
Leam Richardson’s hosts Wigan will be adding some well-known attackers to their front line against Town tonight.
Former Shrewsbury loanee players Callum Lang and Stephen Humphrys, who both caught the eye on the Meadow, are likely to begin. You could be helped by Will Keane, the striker who was on Town’s radar that summer.
They will operate without striker Charlie Wyke. The former Sunderland frontman collapsed in training a few weeks ago and revealed last week that boss Richardson and club doctor Jonathan Tobin’s quickly thought-out resuscitation actions saved his life.
Cotterill brought his best wishes to Wyke, who turned 29 this week.
