CALLUM McKenzie has called the academy’s 0-0 draw against Rochdale ‘extremely frustrating’ but believes there are many positives to take from the team’s performance.
He said; “I think the second-half performance was really good. We had possession, intensity and positivity, all the things that were missing in the first half.
“We are really disappointed in the way that we started the game. We weren’t terribly poor, but we were just very average, and we have spoken all week about starting on the front foot.
“We knew where we could maybe hurt them, we just didn’t quite pull it off today, but in the second half, I thought we were outstanding.
“We need to keep moving forward it feels like a defeat today but when we look back tomorrow, we will see it as a great team performance”.
The young Shrews had many chances to take the lead in the second half, including a missed penalty and a shot that struck the cross-bar.
McKenzie said; “It was extremely frustrating not to score with the chances we had. In the end, it was almost laughable, but it was just one of those days where it wasn’t happening”.
McKenzie believes the sides results haven’t always been a true reflection of the performances the team have been producing, he said; “As staff we question what we can do better. The results haven’t really reflected where we are, and people say the league table doesn’t lie, but our performances have deserved more”.
Another positive was the half-time introduction of trialist Courtney Perkins who has impressed at U-16 level, McKenzie said; “He has been playing really well all season.
“We thought with his pace and directness he might cause Rochdale a problem, and he did; he won the penalty, had a few good chances and crosses so he couldn’t do much more.
“It has been good to have him in the squad with the scholars, having another good player coming through it should push them on”.