Sam Ricketts previews Town's Boxing Day fixture with Rotherham United.
Shrewsbury Town welcome Rotherham United to the Montgomery Waters Meadow this Boxing Day for another Sky Bet League One fixture.
Town will be looking to make it a third consecutive win with a result over the Millers following on from Town’s 0-1 win over Blackpool.
Town’s manager, Sam Ricketts, is expecting another tough test from the away side but hopes his team can trouble the Millers.
“We have played them a couple of times already this season and they beat us comprehensively in the cup and then we drew away from home,” said Ricketts. “They are a good side who were in the Championship last year.
“They have players who could still play at a higher level. We need to be ready for this game. We have to look at their strengths but also identify their weaknesses as a team.
“They have a lot of pace and power, especially in wide areas. They change their shape to get as many of their main players in the team as they can. They are really open as to what they can do.
“Like I said, they were in the Championship last year and have some Championship quality players. We need to be wary of that and play our game. We have a basis to work from and we need to work on other areas of our game.”
Ricketts feels his Town squad are in a good place and appreciates having selection headaches prior to each game.
“We are an alright side who try every week to put a good performance on,” said Ricketts. “We need to focus and maintain a good level of concentration. It’s not always easy when you have so many games coming thick and fast.
“We are fortunate that we have some really good players, so we are getting to a place where the players know there is competition for places. Everyone knows they have to perform well to stay in the team.
“Hopefully, the more we play together as a team, the better we get. We are able to change things around a little bit, we are able to change personnel around in every position.
“We are doing things really well. When teams watch us, in the build-up they comment on what a good side we are and how well organised we are as a team. We are getting recognition from teams that we are going up against.”