Returning midfielder admits Town needed to do more at Burton
Returning midfielder James Wesolowski has called for a more ruthless streak from his Shrewsbury Town teammates as Micky Mellon's men reflect on a disappointing start to 2015.
Town lost top spot in League 2 after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at promotion rivals Burton Albion, dropping to 3rd. George Taft got the only goal in the second half in a keenly contested encounter at the Pirelli Stadium.
Despite late Shrewsbury pressure - which included a miss by defender Mickey Demetriou - Wesolowski admitted his side needed to be better.
"I wouldn't say we deserved a point as they got the goal and that made the difference," said the Australian.
"I think we played well in patches but at the same time, we can be better. It was one of those days where one goal was always going to win it. We've got to be more ruthless to make sure we're the team to get in front. We had chances and in general it was one of those games where both teams battled. There wasn't a lot of football played and the pitch was pretty soggy before the game. We fought back well in the last 20 minutes and had a few chances but didn't put the ball in the net and it cost us."
Demetriou's chance was the big one at the end, but earlier James Collins, Liam Lawrence and Bobby Grant also saw sights of goal.
"I spoke to Mickey afterwards and he said he almost hit it too well" said Wesolowski.
"It was a good chance and we had a few other half chances. It wasn't a disastrous performance, we didn't play too badly but there are things we can work on and it's good we've got another game on Thursday to bounce back quickly against a team at the top end of the table."
Wesolowski was named as a substitute against Burton after being sidelined since December 6th when he picked up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup defeat at Preston North End.
"The hamstring has healed pretty well so it wasn't a surprise to be named as a sub," he said.
"I was originally going to be out for 8 weeks and one month in, I'm back on the pitch. It was good to be out there, I enjoyed it. I felt quite fit and the physio has done well with me. He's had a good record with getting hamstring injuries back quickly so I need to keep doing my rehab, building up my strength and I should be fine. I feel fit enough to start games so it's up to the gaffer and if picks me I'll be ready. There's tough competition in midfield but there has been all season. I'm just going to wait for my chance and if I get it, I'll make sure I take it.
Town were backed by a big away following at the Pirelli Stadium and Wesolowski says the support will make a real difference in the second half of the season.
"The fans were quality, we were all surprised before the game about how many had turned out," he said. "It was disappointing we couldn't repay them with 3 points. It shows there's the support behind us at the moment and that's encouraging. It gives us a massive boost when we go out on the pitch."
After playing against Wycombe and Burton over the festive period, Shrewsbury continue their run of fixtures against teams around them with Luton at Kenilworth Road on Thursday evening.
"Luton is probably one of the biggest games of the season so far and we know we should be looking to win," he said. "It's on TV too. It's an exciting game and we will be looking to bounce back."