Shrewsbury Town

Marcus Braddock takes his weekly look back and forward on the events at the Montgomery Waters Meadow

After the weekend’s defeat at home to Rotherham, I'm looking for some positives to put me in the mood for tomorrow’s home game to Gillingham. My first positive would be Tuesday night’s win at Fleetwood and the contribution from new signing Nathan Thomas. Two touches of class that brought in three valuable away points that lead me to my next positive. Our away form is excellent at the moment, we've lost just one away game in League One since the start of December. Our last three away games have brought in nine points, more than anyone else, so we're top of the away league. We're also top of League One until at least 7.45 pm this evening which is when Blackburn play Bury at home. They will go ahead of us if they draw or better but we will have a game in hand and although they should beat Bury, the Shakers are on a mini revival in form so who knows what could happen with the pressure on?

I started with positives but I'm not looking to airbrush over our last couple of home games. Both Plymouth and Rotherham are on exceptional runs and have the kind of inertia we have experienced at times this season. If we were losing all our games then I'd be more worried about the home defeats but the away form suggests to me that we still have our Mojo, we just have to get it working at home.

Speaking of home, we have another in form team visiting us on Tuesday night and Gillingham will have looked at our last few home games and be rubbing their hands. They're yet another team on a great run of form who have won more points away than at home, so another hard game ahead. The coming weekend brings us an away game in the smoke against Charlton and although they aren't on a particularly fantastic run, they will be difficult opposition.

Shrewsbury Town Ladies had no game this weekend after Bilbrook withdrew from the league. Next week they entertain Atherstone Town who they beat 13-0 away in October.

Shrewsbury Town U18's beat Blackpool 3-1 away last Tuesday with a brace from Tyrone Ofori and one from Rory Huntbach. Their next scheduled game is at home to Bury on Saturday at Shrewsbury Sports Village at 11.00am.