Akpa Akpro happy with goal and important 3 points
Goalscorer Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro has praised the character of the Shrewsbury Town squad after a return to winning ways against promotion rivals Burton Albion on Saturday. A week on from a dispiriting defeat at Exeter City the Frenchman's late strike was enough to seal another Greenhous Meadow victory and move Town back into the League 2 automatic promotion places.
"I felt we deserved the win overall and it was a good response after the Exeter game," he said. "We were massively disappointed last week but we've gone on to get another 3 points at home which is a big positive. It shows we have good character in the squad, that nobody was happy after last week and we didn't want to go through something like that again."
The Brewers, tasting defeat for the first time under new manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, defended well throughout but a slip by former Town defender Shane Cansdell-Sherriff allowed James Collins to win the ball and square it for Akpa Akpro who netted his fifth goal of the season.
"It was a good win and a hard game," he said. "Burton were very good and made it difficult for us. We had to be patient and show composure."
Despite the goal, Akpa Akpro wasn't happy with his overall display.
"I'm happy to score but I was a bit disappointed with my performance," he said. "I was a bit below par and didn't have a good game but I scored."
The win kept up Town's hugely impressive home form this season in league and cup with the Burton result making it 12 wins in 14 games. Only Newport County and Chelsea have managed to get results on Shrewsbury territory.
"Who are Chelsea?!" joked Akpa Akpro. "We have a very good record and we want to keep it going until the end of the season. A lot of teams will come here and defend so it's up to us to find out how to win games."