Shrewsbury Town notch a late winner against Charlton Athletic in the Play-off semi-final.
Charlton Athletic 0-1 (J.Nolan, 80) Shrewsbury Town
Charlton: Amos(GK), Konsa, Bauer, Pearce, Dasilva, Reeves (Aribo, 77), Kashi, Forster-Caskey, Mavididi (Fosu-Hnery, 62), Magennis, Ajose (Zyro, 90).
Subs: Marshall, Phillips, Fosu-Henry, Aribo, Sarr, Zyro, Dijksteel.
Salop: Henderson, Bolton, Nsiala, Sadler, Beckles, Whalley (Riley, 89), Morris, Godfrey, Rodman, Nolan (John-Lewis, 90), Morris (Payne, 75).
Subs: Riley, Lowe, John-Lewis, MacGillivray, Jones, Eisa, Payne.
Attendance: 17,367
In the 2017/18 season, Town stood tall amongst giants and earned a spot in the Sky Bet League One Play-offs.
Many would have expected Town to falter at the first hurdle as Paul Hurst and his team travelled to London to take on Charlton Athletic. However, a stunning strike from Jon Nolan with just 10 minutes to go earned Town a one-goal advantage going into the second leg at the Montgomery Waters Meadow – an advantage that proved key in Town reaching the final.
Who were the key players?
Jon Nolan (CM)
In a tightly contested semi-final, it seemed as if both teams were heading towards a stalemate. That was until the 80th minute when Jon Nolan stepped up and fired an audacious effort into the top corner of the Addicks net from 20 yards out to send Town back to Shropshire with the lead.
Following on from a solid season at the Montgomery Waters Meadow, Nolan earned a move to the Sky Bet Championship to link up with former Town boss Paul Hurst at Ipswich Town – the club he resides with today.
Dean Henderson (GK)
An ever–present member of the Town starting XI, Dean Henderson was key in helping Town reach the play-offs during his loan spell with the club and played a pivotal role in keeping the Addicks from pulling a goal back in the first leg. With 12 shots and nine corners to deal with, Henderson was kept busy during the fixture but managed to keep a clean sheet for his team.
Since leaving Town, the shot-stopper’s career has continued to grow and the Manchester United youngster now plays in the Premier League with Sheffield United. Henderson has also been involved with the senior England set up as he sets his sights on an England cap and a spot in the Manchester United first-team.
Ben Godfrey (CB)
Godfrey is another Town loanee who has gone on to play in the Premier League. A fan favourite at the Montgomery Waters Meadow, the Town faithful would have been delighted to see the central defender win promotion to the top tier of English football with Norwich City in the last campaign.
Now playing regularly in the Premier League, Town can be proud to have made a positive impact on the defenders development. In the 2017/18 season alone, Godfrey made over 50 appearances in Blue and Amber and is now a key part of the Canaries defensive line.