Following the excitement of last weekend’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the FA Cup, Shrewsbury Town turn their attention back to Sky Bet League One as they make the short journey to face Crewe Alexandra on Saturday afternoon.
Salop fans will remember Saturday’s trip to Anfield for a long time after Daniel Udoh’s 27th-minute goal gave Shrewsbury a shock lead against the six-time Champions of Europe before the hosts showed their quality and came back to ultimately win 4-1.
Steve Cotterill will take many positives from the Liverpool game as he turns his attention back to league football. Salop are in good form at the minute, having won three of their last four games. This has seen Shrewsbury climb up to 15th in the table. Cotterill and his side will take great confidence going into the second half of the season.
Crewe have struggled this season, failing to find consistency in their results which has seen David Artell’s side pick up only five wins all season. Their poor results have left them in 22nd place in the league table but they are only four points from safety. They have, however, won four of their past nine league games, including a 2-1 home win against Charlton Athletic on Wednesday night.
With Salop having a few extra days to prepare for the fixture, Steve Cotterill will be hoping the Railwaymen have a few tired legs following their game against Charlton and will be looking to capitalise to further push Shrewsbury up the table.
Name: Crewe Alexandra
Founded: 1877 (145 years ago), as Crewe
Chairman: Charles Grant
Biggest Victory: 9-1 vs Northwich Victoria, FA Cup, November 1889
Biggest Defeat: 13-2 vs Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup, January 1960
Highest League Position: 11th, Division One (Second Tier), 1997-98
One to Watch: Mikael Mandron
The 27-year-old striker joined the Railwaymen in August 2020 from Gillingham and has become a key player for David Artell in his time at the club. The Frenchman had a brief spell with Salop back in 2015, making three appearances for the club. In his time with Crewe, he scored two goals against Salop in a 3-2 victory on the final day of last season.
He is Crewe’s top goalscorer in the league this season with six goals and one assist. He also scored what proved to be the winner in stoppage time at the end of the first half against Charlton on Wednesday. His goal against Charlton will fill him with confidence and he’ll be looking to add to his tally against Salop on Saturday.
