Manager Steve Cotterill praised his players for their outstanding effort following Shrewsbury's 1-1 draw with Portsmouth.
Town had to deal with a raft of injury problems ahead of the visit of John Mousinho's side with Matt Pennington joining Dan Udoh, George Nurse, Tom Bayliss, Rekeil Pyke and Christian Saydee in the treatment room. Ryan Bowman was also suspended for the game.
That meant our bench was made up of academy players with Kade Craig, Josh Barlow, Nana Owusu, Declan Hutchings and Travis Hernes joining goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne.
But despite having so many absentees, Town put in an excellent performance at Montgomery Waters Meadow.
We opened the scoring early in the second half when Elliott Bennett whipped in a wonderful cross that Rob Street converted with an outstanding glancing header.
Town defended brilliantly throughout - and restricted the visitors to very little in front of goal.
But Pompey did pull level in the 82nd minute when - following a goalmouth scramble - Marlon Pack poked home.
Speaking to the assembled media, Steve discussed his team's performance and praised Rob Street for his outstanding goal. And the boss also touched on a late red card for Tom Flanagan.
ON THE PERFORMANCE:
"It was an incredible effort from the boys. Incredible. We had 10 fit players going into today – 10 fit senior players.
"And the 11th one – Tom Flanagan (who is carrying an ankle injury) – probably shouldn’t have played today.
"Huge credit to Tom and huge credit to the lads. I thought they were incredible today. Incredible.
"It would have been easy to give up before the game. That’s no disrespect to any of the young boys.
"But I thought they were brilliant to a man today."
ON ROB'S GOAL:
"It was a brilliant goal and was brilliant for him.
"He lost his grandad in the last couple of weeks, someone who has had a massive impact on his life – taking him to games when he was a kid.
"He has had a bad upset there and everybody is so, so, pleased for him in the dressing room.
"I had a grandad myself that I adored so I have huge sympathy for Rob Street.
"He is just a top, top, boy. He’s a lovely lad.
"The biggest compliment I could ever pay him – and not that my daughter’s partners are not great anyway because I really, really, like them – but if your daughter came home with Rob Street, you’d think that will do for me.
"That’s the biggest compliment I could pay him because my daughters are so precious to me.
"I'm just so pleased for him and so is everybody in the dressing room.
"And what a great goal by the way.
"We had a chance just after that which would have put the game to bed with Killian but their keeper has made a good save.
"Then we have probably made a couple of mistakes for the goal. But I thought they were incredible today. Their effort was magnificent."
ON PORTSMOUTH’S GOAL:
"You see what (subs) they bring on, I have no answer to that."
ON TOM FLANAGAN'S RED CARD:
"We just thought we’d bring Tom off early because of his ankle!"
ON BEING ANOTHER PLAYER DOWN:
"We have been short all season. But what we will do is enjoy what the boys have earned today because that is a huge point for the football club.
"I think they have been absolutely outstanding this week. Outstanding.
"But you can be outstanding in the week, what you have to do is be outstanding on a Saturday.
"And they didn’t give an inch against a really good team, with a really strong squad and with an incredible fan base behind them in the second half that were sucking the ball in for them.
"I’m just so pleased for our lads. We just have to make sure we rest and recuperate and get ready for Tuesday now."
ON JOSH BARLOW COMING OFF THE BENCH TO MAKE HIS LEAGUE DEBUT:
"It was a special moment for him.
"But I will still reiterate those boys are not ready for League One football.
"It doesn’t matter what we do and what we say. Josh Barlow was in the youth team last year and he has played in the youth team this year.
"When we go from under-18s football to League One, the jump - it’s just too big to judge them and it’s very, very, difficult.
"I’m pleased for Josh because he has been with us everywhere, up and down the motorway, on the bus.
"I am pleased for him. I am a little bit sorry that I can’t give the others that moment – but I don’t quite know where we’d be if we had to put all those boys on.
"And I don’t think it would be fair on them either."
ON BEING BACK IN THE TOP 10 IN LEAGUE ONE:
"That point was a big point. If we are back in the top 10 with five games to go, other teams will have four games to go – so that was an important point today. An important point.
"What we have got to do now is rest and recover as much as we possibly can.
"We’ll get the injured boys in tomorrow and see what we can come up with over the weekend."
