Shrewsbury Town

Lewis Poole reflects on the 2017/18 Sky Bet League One season

Town’s final month of the season had quickly came around. One final league game was the only game left before Town were to do battle with Charlton Athletic for a place in the Play-Off Final.

The final league game against MK Dons at home was another fixture that Hurst used to experiment. The already relegated side came to Shropshire with the aim of upsetting the odds and getting a win for their fans. MK did just that, a goal from Kieran Agard caught Town off guard and was the deciding factor as MK took all three points back to Milton Keynes.

The Play-Offs had arrived and the first fixture was the trip back down to The Valley. The Shrews were favourites to lose the fixture but defied all the odds when they left London with a one-goal advantage going into the next game. Jon Nolan scored an emphatic volley, which nestled in the top corner giving Town the win against Charlton.

Despite getting the win, Town were still favourites to lose out on a Wembley trip. As the team had done all season, they defied the odds once again and got another one nil win against the determined Charlton Athletic. Carlton Morris shot a low hard goal, which made The Montgomery Waters Meadow erupt with cheers. The Town fans would next see their team battling away with Rotherham United in the final.

The da arrived for Town to do battle with The Millers. The teams arrived at Wembley and the anticipation was starting to build. The game was a tightly tested competition. Town went a goal down in the first half but they didn’t let this get them down. After a half time team talk from the gaffer, Town came out and equalised in the 58th minute through Alex Rodman. A tidy set play saw Rodman one on one with the keeper and the winger chipped the ball home.

Town fans would have though the momentum was with their side but the game was long and drawn out as both teams were reluctant to give away chances. It wasn’t until extra time until the hearts of the Salop fans was broken. The Millers captain Richard Wood got his second goal of the game in the 103rd minute, which sent Rotherham back up to the championship.

Despite the disappointment of the Wembley loss, the team, the town, the county and all of the fans could be proud of what their team had achieved this season, from relegation favourites to battling it out in the Play-Off Final.  Town could leave London with a sense of pride and hope that they can build on their success in the next campaign.