Shrewsbury Town started their Sky Bet League One campaign off with a 0-0 draw away from home against Morecambe FC at the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In an evenly contested draw away from home, Salop managed to dominate the majority of possession and their best chance fell on the hour mark. Shrewsbury had a corner following a Julien Dacosta cost which was sent into the middle of the box by Tom Bayliss. George Nurse received the ball on the edge of the box and drove a magnificent shot towards goal, but it was deflected onto the crossbar by a trailing leg.
The hosts best chance of the game came on the half hour mark as they countered from a Shrewsbury attack and Dylan Connolly got on the end of a long ball and rapidly drove down the right-hand side to go one on one with Marosi, but the Slovakian goalkeeper made himself big and got the ball away from danger.
Shrewsbury started bright in the opening stages of the game and had two early opportunities. One of the chances came from the left-hand side where the ball got whipped into the box. Jordan Shipley got control of the ball and had a shot from inside the box, but the Morecambe defence stood strong and pushed it away, but it landed at newly appointed captain Luke Leahy's boots, who then had a shot from just outside the box, but it went wide.
Leahy had another chance within a minute of the previous when the Town managed to get in the box with a slick passing move. The Morecambe defence dealt with it, but the ball landed at Leahy again who struck another long-range effort but again could only see it whistle wide.
On the half hour mark Shrewsbury had a chance from the left-hand side when Matthew Pennington drove to the by-line and crossed a low ball into the Morecambe box. However. Connor Ripley was quick to push it away. Bayliss was the player who got onto the ball, but he could only send it over the bar after it parried the bodies of the Shrimps defence.
Ash Hunter took a free kick in the Shrewsbury half in the opening stages of the second half and his ball landed at the back post. Arthur Gnahoua leapt high, and his head sent the ball goalward but Marosi got his hands safely to the ball
Bayliss took a free kick on the edge of the box early in the second half, but he flicked the ball onto Leahy who tried to send the ball into the middle of the box which Morecambe managed to deflect. The ball landed in Shrewsbury’s possession and Tom Flanagan drove a shot towards goal, but it only managed to find the blue and amber faithful.
Just before the hour mark Nurse drove down the wing as he got to the by-line, he sent a low driven cross into the box, but it only found Ryan Delaney who intercepted it and sent it into the crowd for a Shrewsbury corner.
Shrewsbury had a chance to open the scoring just after the hour mark. Dacosta ran into the opposition half and conducted a one-two with Bayliss before crossing the ball across the box, but the Shrimps sent the ball out.
Morecambe had a chance with 15 minutes to go as Gnahoua sent a through ball into the Salop box and Melbourne overlapped and got into the box and had a shot, but it came to nothing as the Marosi picked the ball up with ease.
Teams
Salop XI:
Marosi (GK), Leahy (C), Pennington, Moore, Bowman, Bayliss (Pyke, 66), Dunkley, Nurse, Shipley (O’Brien, 83), Dacosta, Flanagan
Unused subs:
Burgoyne (GK), Caton, Craig, Barlow, Bloxham
Morecambe XI:
Ripley (GK), Love (C), Melbourne, Gibson (Taylor, 65), Rawson, Delaney, Fane, Stockton, Hunter, Connolly, Gnahoua
Unused Subs:
Smith (GK), Weir, Watts, McLoughlin, Obika, O’Connor
Attendance:
4, 750 with 780 Salop fans making the journey.
Bookings:
Ryan Bowman received a yellow on the hour mark following a challenge with Delaney.
