Ipswich Town travel to Shrewsbury Town this weekend looking to continue their unbeaten start in League One. MIKE BACON takes a look at the Blues' opponents.
The story so far
It's been a steady start for the Shrews in League One this season.
An opening day draw at Morecambe was followed by a disappointing 0-1 defeat to Accrington, with Shrewsbury finishing the game with 10 men.
However, a come-from-behind victory at Wycombe last Saturday was followed by a solid draw with Derby County in midweek. And, although the Rams enjoyed 74% of possession against Steve Cotterill's side, they could not break them down.
"We were absolutely immense," the Salop boss said after the game, as he also praised his strikers, despite them not scoring.
"The goalkeeper and the back five will always get the credit for a clean sheet. But really it started with them (the strikers) tonight, and in the end, we could have won it."
'Premier League club', says Salop boss
Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill is well aware of the challenge his side will face against Town, having just come up against another big force in Derby County in midweek.
“Derby on Tuesday, and Ipswich Town on Saturday, both of these sides will be looking to win this league, not just get promoted," Cotterill said.
“They are two huge clubs. To be honest, they are Premier League clubs, that’s what they are.
"And unfortunately, they have found themselves down in League One. Over a period of time, the bigger clubs will start climbing back up.
“This league is absolutely jam-packed with huge clubs."
Injury blows for Salop
Shrewsbury were dealt a big blow this week with the news Aiden O’Brien is set to miss the next six weeks for Shrews, while Ryan Bowman’s ‘minor’ back problem could also see him miss out against Town.
O’Brien had a hip operation on Monday, an injury that has troubled the forward since he signed for Salop in the summer. He arrived on a free transfer after leaving Portsmouth, signing a two-year contract at New Meadow
The 28-year-old did not feature in pre-season, and he made a seven-minute cameo on Salop’s curtain-raiser at Morecambe. But he has not been in the squad since. And following the procedure, he is now set for an extended period on the sidelines.
Bowman started the first two league games, but he has been used only as a substitute since.
The striker was not in Cotterill’s matchday squad against The Rams on Tuesday night.
Head to head
This will be the 30th meeting between Shrewsbury and Town in all competitions and the balance of power is very much with the Blues.
Indeed, Town have won 15 of the previous 29 games, with 11 drawn, and you have to go back to January 1987 to find the last time Salop got the better of Ipswich.
Last season, after Town beat the Shropshire side 2-1 at Portman Road, the points were shared back at New Meadow, substitute Shaun Whalley scored a stunning 85th-minute equaliser to snatch Shrewsbury a point against 10-man Town.
James Norwood had put the visitors ahead with his sixth-goal of the season after six minutes before team-mate Cameron Burgess was shown a second yellow card on 75 minutes.
Get there on time Town fans
Shrewsbury Town had to apologise to fans after the club’s new access system left some supporters queuing outside the ground after kick-off for Tuesday's clash with Derby.
Salop hope everything will be in order for Town's visit.
After that Derby game, a statement from Shrewsbury read: “After collecting data from the system, 5,092 fans attempted to get through the turnstiles in the 20 minutes prior to kick-off (after 7:25pm). Subtract the number of away fans... and it would’ve required 13 fans to go through each of the 18 home turnstiles per minute in order for everyone to make it in on time. Therefore, where possible, we encourage fans to try to get into the stadium earlier to avoid long queues.”
What the bookies say
Town are hot favourites for this one, the League One leaders are evens with some bookies. You can get a very generous 5/2 for a home win, while the draw doesn't look too bad either.
TOWN WIN: 21/20: SHREWSBURY WIN: 5/2: THE DRAW: 9/4
Did you know?
Salop is an old name for Shropshire, historically used as an abbreviated form for post or telegrams, it is thought to derive from the Anglo-French “Salopesberia”. Following the Local Government Act 1972, Salop became the official name of the county of Shropshire and the football club is often called by it.
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