The month that Town get promoted back to League 1
AprilShrewsbury would end the month with a win at Cheltenham that sealed promotion to League One – but throughout April it always looked like a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’.
A 2-0 win over Dagenham and a 1-0 win at Mansfield was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of an Exeter team that had been bang in form ahead of their trip to the Greenhous Meadow. Those three wins also took Shrewsbury to six wins in a row.
It was a sequence that had put them on the cusp of automatic promotion, and meant they went to Bury knowing a win might be enough if results elsewhere went their way. Unfortunately it was not to be, as the Shakers – themselves mounting a late promotion charge – nicked the points thanks to a stunning goal from right-back Joe Riley.
Still, Town bounced back with a 1-0 win against York that all but sealed the deal – though it was still not mathematically done.
Micky Mellon’s men could finally relax though, after their trip to Whaddon Road. A deflected strike from Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro was enough to seal the win in front of a sell-out contingent of 1,700 travelling Shrewsbury fans. The result also confirmed Cheltenham’s relegation to the Conference.
A pitch invasion followed, with joyous scenes that will live long in the memory. And Town still had a crack at the title on the final day too…