Shrewsbury Town match thread - On Wenlock Edge

Here is hoping for building on Tuesday's performance.

The title to the thread is from a poem by A E Housman in "A Shropshire Lad".

Shrewsbury Town
Finished 19th last season and have suffered a chaotic transfer window with seventeen outs and sixteen new faces. Top scorer Daniel Udoh departed acrimoniously for Wycombe. The replacements are George Lloyd, with 14 goals in 139 games in Leagues 1 and 2 over seven seasons, and John Marquis, who over a long career (including a brief spell at Orient in 2015-16) averages a goal every 234 minutes or one every 3.4 games. Big question is whether Marquis can play enough minutes for them, as he hasn’t played 3,000 minutes since 2020-21. Leo Castledine, on-loan from Chelsea, is expected to contribute.

Midfield is anchored by the club captain, Carl Winchester, assisted by Jordan Shipley an experienced campaigner who can pop up with a goal or provide an assist. Harrison Biggins joined in June and has been promptly loaned out to Carlisle – go figure. Alex Gilliead and Funso Ojo are last-minute pick-ups from Bradford and Port Vale respectively in League 2. Tom Bloxham and Tommi O’Reilly have so far operated as the wingers.

The centre back partnership is the much-travelled Aristote Nsiala and the less travelled but experienced Aaron Pierre. Left back is Malvind Benning, also experienced, while the younger Luca Hoole is the right back. Toby Savin is the goalkeeper, moving here having fallen out of favour at Accrington Stanley.

Shrewsbury look to be one of the weakest squads in the league, so a good performance by Orient is needed here, given the difficulties of the opening three league matches. From Richie Wellens pre-match interview it seems as if Jack Simpson might make the squad and the vintage Pratley has been re-fuelled, polished and is ready for use. Jack Currie, a left back who has made 80 appearances for AFC Wimbledon in League 2 in the last two years, has joined on loan from Oxford as has young goalkeeper Josh Keeley from Tottenham but it is probably too late for them to make the trip.

Shrewsbury have had a poor start in the league, having lost their first three games and only managing one goal in the process. There is some mitigation in two of the games being against Huddersfield and Peterborough. They seem to alternate between 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 in matches and have so far operated with limited possession.

Paul Hurst is on his second time around with Shrewsbury having taken them to third place in League 1 in 2017-18. He followed that with a very short spell at Ipswich, an ill-advised job at Scunthorpe before having a second spell at Grimsby which saw them relegated, promoted and then he was sacked when they were in 21st place in League 2. He is experienced with good success at non-League level as well as in Leagues 1 and 2, all on small budgets. He has to integrate a core of last year’s team with a bunch of free transfers, none of whom look obviously inspiring and hope that the loanees, on their first time out in English professional football, will come good.

The club is owned by 82-year-old local man Roland Wycherley who is keen, according to reports, to sell the club to someone who will do the right thing by the fans. Subject to any takeover, there is not going to be any money as Shrewsbury are one of the poorest clubs in the division. A season of struggle beckons.

In: Harrison Biggins CM (Doncaster, free), Luca Hoole RB (Bristol Rovers, free), Toto Nsiala CB (Burton, free), George Lloyd CF (Cheltenham, free), Toby Savin GK (Accrington, free), Roland Idowu CM (St Mirren, loan), Tommi O’Reilly AM (Aston Villa, loan), John Marquis CF (Bristol Rovers, free), Jordan Rossiter DM (Bristol Rovers free), Joe Young GK (Wolves U21, free), Leo Castledine AM (Chelsea U21, loan), Charles Sagoe Jr LW (Arsenal U21, loan), Josh Feeney CB (Aston Villa U21, loan), Joshua Kayode CF (Rotherham, loan), Alex Gilliead CM (Bradford, undisclosed), Funso Ojo CM (Port Vale, loan)

Out: Tom Bayliss CM (Lincoln, free), Daniel Udoh CF (Wycombe, free), Chey Dunkley CB (Chesterfield, free), Harry Burgoyne GK (Morecambe, free), Rayhaan Tulloch CF (Shelbourne, free), Tunmise Sobowale RB (Swindon, free), Jason Sraha CB (Burton), Max Mata CF (Auckland, loan), Roland Idowu CM (St Mirren, Loan), Marko Marosi GK (released), Aiden O’Brien LW (Shelbourne, free), Elliott Bennett RM (released), Ryan Bowman CF (Cheltenham, free), Tom Flanagan CB, Nana Owusu-Gyimah RB, Declan Hutchings CB, Joshua Bailey LB (all released), Harrison Biggins CM (Carlisle, loan)
Previous Results: Shrewsbury Town 1 Leyton Orient 3 (27 April 2024)
Leyton Orient 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 (23 September 2023)