David Cameron Walker

Archive for the ‘Shrewsbury Town’ Category

Same man, same result, 33 years apart

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

33 years ago this month, Graham Turner was celebrating a Football League Third Division win in his very first season in management as player-manager of Shrewsbury Town. His return as manager in 2010 created much optimism for success in the town once again, and only two years into his tenure he has provided. So what comparisons can be made, not only between Turner’s first & most recent promotion successes, but The Shrews’ prospects for retaining League One status for as long as they did in the 1980’s?

In front of a near 10,000 strong home crowd for the final home league game at the Greenhous Meadow, a solitary goal from James Collins in the 38th minute was enough to finally confirm promotion to League One for The Shrews. It was a match that Turner’s side dominated in the form of possession & chances, but it was Nicky Wroe who once again provided the opportunity for Collins to convert, with the final whistle sending the fans into pitch invasion pandemonium. Whilst Turner would have wanted the opportunity to go for the league title going into the final game, he was clearly in awe of his player’s efforts throughout the season…

“It was a surprise when we went up in 1979. And the expectations were greater this season, but we’ve got there in the end.” Turner stated shortly after claiming promotion to League One. “I’ve got to pay tribute to the players. They’ve been fantastic all season. For all the hard work they’ve put in, they deserve everything they’ve got.”

The League Two Manager of the Month for April also suggested that the art of being successful is to finish strongly, which is evidently justified in the fact that Shrewsbury were the most in-form side by winning seven & losing only once in their final ten games. Another stat, which has elevated The Shrews to promotion, is their unprecedented unbeaten home record this season in the Football League, only Manchester City look likely to match that out of all the English Leagues. Flashback to 1979 and you find one stand out similarity between both promotions. Under Turner’s first season as player/manager, The Shrews were also unbeaten at home throughout the whole season, a great credit to his coaching abilities over his career, in particular converting his playing experience into coaching as a solid defender. At no other club has he managed to lead a team to an undefeated home campaign, and as the River Severn literally and yet fittingly wraps itself around the town like his very own moat, under Turner’s helm Shrewsbury is known as ‘Fortress Meadow’.

As soon as the pitch invasion, the open top bus parade & town celebrations come to an end, preparations for League One commence. Several players have signed new contracts such as Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Chris Neal, Nicky Wroe & most notably the skipper and one of the players of the season, Ian Sharps.

Players to leave the Greenhous Meadow already are Sean McAllister, Lionel Ainsworth, Carl Regan & Ben Smith, all have shown great promise but never on a regular enough basis to cement their place in an already strong starting eleven. Turner will hope that top scorer James Collins will sign a new deal offered to the striker some time ago, with the hope that the promising young talent will endeavour to prove himself at a higher level with The Shrews.

If we follow the performance of Turner’s winning formula of ’79, the Greenhous Meadow will hopefully be home to League One or better for the foreseeable future. When promoted to Division Two as it was back then, Town spent a decade at this level with Turner leaving his post for the dizzy heights of Division One with Aston Villa in 1984. With a combination of Turner’s previous experience in League One with Hereford and a team built based on a mix of experience supported by a string of exciting young players, Town will aim to not only retain their League One status, but grow as a club in all aspects in preparation to push for even bigger honours.

As previously stated in earlier blogs, it’s been seven years of near misses for the fans, but Town have finally snatched promotion, and once more Turner is the Pride of Shrewsbury, the Pride of Shropshire!

Written by Michael Aldridge, We Are Going Up’s Shrewsbury Town Blogger

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Now full steam ahead for a promotion push…

Monday, January 9th, 2012

It’s not been a great start to 2012 for the Shrews, but 2011 has certainly exceeded all expectations from the fans, media & the club itself. After narrowly missing out on automatic promotion followed by failure in the play-offs last season, it seemed the Shrews may have suffered from a post-promotion failure hangover. But after recovering from a sluggish start to once again find themselves lurking just behind the automatic promotion spots in this 2011/12 season, can the Shrews finally convert the ultimate goal of League One football at the New Meadow? Over halfway through the season, we look at the reasons why fans can be extremely optimistic of their club’s chances.

Let’s wind the clock back a year, Shrewsbury Town had just come off the back of two successive defeats in the league to Morecambe & Bury and were seventh in the table, just inside the play-off zone on goal difference. However, they went on to finish as strong as any other team in the division, losing only 5 of their last 24 matches. But as we all know it wasn’t quite enough to propel them into League One automatically. This season has been strangely similar to the previous, a slow start followed by an early season surge approaching the festive period. This season is no exception, topped off with their emphatic 7-2 victory at league strugglers Northampton Town. They lie 8 points off league leaders Crawley Town, and only 7 points off current automatic promotion spot holders Southend & Cheltenham, and with an almost identical run of form to the end of this season to that of last, it could prove more successful with the only difference last year being that winning the league is still very much a possibility.

Point taken, Crawley Town seem to be running the show in League Two, followed by two very strong contenders in The Shrimpers & The Robins. And with Paolo Di Canio weaving his magic around the County Ground in league and cup competition, Swindon appear to be the only outsider to take on the chase, based on current form. But is it such a bad thing to steer clear of the hype that surrounds the season run-in, and instead be allowed to clearly focus on a second half surge to outshine the efforts of last season? I believe this is Graham Turner’s best approach on a game-by-game basis to bring success to this club. This would, however, require the Shrews scoring goals.

Picking up only 2 points out of a possible 9 over Christmas was ultimately an untimely underachievement, especially after battling for a point at high flying Cheltenham. The bad day at the office at Bradford was immediately followed by a disappointing point at home to the team they beat 7-2 just a month beforehand. Only two goals were scored in this time despite Turner altering the system & starting line-up, but this provides the horrible unwanted new year headache for the Shrews boss; the January Transfer Window ‘stick or twist’ game.

Of course, we’re only talking free transfers and potential loanees, but does Turner take the gamble of potentially unsettling the current squad or stick with what he has at his disposal and regret this decision by March after realising that a playoff spot is their best case scenario. And with key midfielder Nicky Wroe side-lined for six weeks, it is up to the boss to fill the gap with the best option available be it a hot prospect from the training ground or on the market.

This weekend’s FA Cup 3rd Round tie with Middlesbrough would have been a welcome fixture in more ways than one for the Shrews. It was a chance to answer necessary questions for the rest of the season, in search of a new system, a new stand-out player, a new potent goalscorer, or just how to score. Cup competitions this season have proven to be somewhat of a helpful distraction as we saw against Swansea and Arsenal in the Carling Cup. Even after the loss at the Emirates, it would still be a fan’s favourite performance of the season, which gave belief to everyone involved and was no coincidence that a run of good form continued long after this defeat. Perhaps the festive season known as the ‘busy & important’ period for English football became the distraction to start the slump, and maybe the ‘beauty of the FA Cup’ albeit lasting barely into January for the Shrews, might just have been what they needed to refocus and regain form.

You couldn’t have asked any more from the team at the Riversid…apart from a goal once again. It’s saying something when at half time, Turner would have sent the players out to win a game they deserve to rather than holding on for a lucrative replay, despite being behind at the break. It was a game they dominated, but Lionel Ainsworth’s glorious opportunity was evidence of the Shrews’ current lack of confidence in front of goal. However, the positives from this game are there for Turner’s taking into the next dressing room with the ultimate goal of emulating the amazing run that started this time last year.

Let’s hope it’s a great second half of the season, a great 2012, and that my case for much optimism is proven.

Written by Michael Aldridge, We Are Going Up’s Shrewsbury Town Blogger

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Complete ‘Turner-round’ for the Shrews fortunes

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Prior to Shrewsbury’s home games with Crewe & Swansea in the past week, they could have only been described similar to that of a night out: ‘Good, when there’s Beer involved’. Having let a lead & convincing performance slip against Plymouth on the first day of the season, followed by a great escape at Burton Albion and an embarrassing no-show away at Oxford United, the only high of a rather lacklustre start to the season was the Carling Cup First Round defeat of Derby County at Pride Park. But now after defeating local rivals Crewe and a sensational comeback against Premier League outfit Swansea City, there is finally hope at the Meadow that this season could still yet be a momentous one.

Prior to the match, you could agree that Town would have the advantage of almost being able to enjoy themselves, but they’ve already shown in pre-season friendlies against Man United and Wolves that picking a young, inexperienced side to play against them could be a huge mistake. The ‘underdog’ status that now eludes Shrewsbury Town in League 2 has so far proved to work in their favour, and there was even an expectancy that this could once again prove to be accurate in the eventual result.

One player almost certain to be amongst the first names on the team sheet from now on is Sean McAllister. The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, who signed for Town last summer, made his first appearance since January in style. Receiving the man of the match award against Crewe after he opened his Shrewsbury account, scoring after 23 minutes, and he was the missing piece of the puzzle in the centre of the pitch. He provided some much needed creativity and a strong link between the defence & attack that had been missing so far this season.

The Swans did indeed field a much weakened team, in comparison to an almost full strength Shrewsbury Town side, and when Cansdell-Sherriff popped up with a terrific header into the far corner, the fans went wild – but much to the dismay of 3 of the 4 stands – he headed past his own keeper. Could Town recover from such a calamity at the back? Step forward new striker Marvin Morgan who became a thorn in the Swans’ inexperienced defence, and after slotting home a scuffed Lionel Ainsworth cross he nearly headed Shrews into a half time lead but for the cross-bar. However star man Mark Wright struck from outside the box to put them ahead followed by a textbook training field free kick routine with Nicky Rowe ensuring victory for the home side in a match they quite frankly dominated.

Whilst they can look forward to a potential dream third round draw, the key objective is to maintain a winning streak in the league and climb up into those automatic promotion spots. The players can hopefully build on this week’s performances and maintain the confidence that was clearly absent from their game before playing Crewe last week. With a young, inexperienced attacking line-up, the confidence factor will play a key role for the rest of Town’s season. A week to reflect on the league & cup wins is just what Graham Turner must have wished for last Saturday lunchtime.

Written by Michael Aldridge, We Are Going Up’s Shrewsbury Town Blogger

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Champing at the Bit

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

To the untrained eye, you could be mistaken for thinking Shrewsbury Town had reached the Promised Land of the Premier League, with pre-season friendly defeats over a Manchester United XI 2-1 & Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0. This, as we all know sadly, is well off the mark……but how far off the mark exactly? With automatic promotion almost looking certain during League Two’s nail-biting climax last season before eventually falling short in both the league & promotion playoffs, and the heart-breaking playoff final defeat to Gillingham of 2009 still fresh in the mind, can Town pick themselves up once again for a promotion push to League One? Many Football League pundits are actually suggesting that one of the smallest teams in the league are one of the favourites, and with their momentum from last season, the fans are optimistic.

In the seven years since Shrewsbury were promoted back into the Football League in 2004, they’ve qualified for the League Two playoffs on three occasions, reaching the final twice only to choke during the most important point of their season. Yet, there has never been a major ‘now or never’ panic within the club. What do you expect from a team in the countryside close to the border with Mid-Wales? This has always been the view of the somewhat pessimistic fans that used to turn up at the old Gay Meadow Stadium, hope for a win and go home happy. Sometimes the attending fans hoped for a match to be played in the first place as long as the old stadium wasn’t flooded from the nearby River Severn like it was for half of every season. It was always apparent to see how a small community could always come together and have time for their pride & joy, the ‘Armbands’ of the team.

For years that I remember Town have always been one of the lowest funded clubs in the Football League, but thanks to sound financial management, the term ‘struggling’ has only ever appeared in a footballing discussion. ‘Minimum ambition = Minimum disappointment’ would’ve been the best motto, right up to point when Shrewsbury’s somewhat ‘comfortable’ position in League Two had served it’s time. The Conference lied in waiting for Town in 2003, and the end of a memorable era under Paul Radcliffe after THAT epic FA Cup run. In hindsight however, the single season in the Conference provided the one missing element in the club, a fan base that believed the club could actually achieve success, which has only grown ever since returning to League Two and the eventual relocation to the new Greenhous Meadow Stadium back in 2007.

With the greatest respect to the likes of Mark Atkins, Jimmy Quinn, Chic Bates, Gary Peters & most recently Paul Simpson, like many other clubs around the country there is always only one man that the fans would love to see take their team to great success. For Shrewsbury, that man is undoubtedly Graham Turner. The great player/manager that brought success to the club between 1970-1984 is idolised by the fans, with comparisons to ‘King Kenny’….on a much smaller scale of course!

In his first season back in charge of his first club, Shrewsbury had their most successful season since returning to the Football League, only to miss out on automatic promotion by a solitary point. But this is major progress for a growing club, not only in terms of fan base & stadium change but in terms of expectancies & stature within the league of being a challenging club. There is a great feeling that Graham Turner could once again potentially be the man to take the club to the summit of success, imminently!

But if the lads thought that coming so close to promotion meant an easy pre-season period, how wrong they were! “Back-to-basics”, as described by the manager when the players were sent on a 3-day training exercise at nearby RAF Shawbury to work with force fitness instructors. According to midfielder Nick Rowe, the spirit in the camp has “hit new levels”, hopefully erasing last season’s disappointment of ‘close, but no cigar’.

While this new-found strong team spirit was visible in their triumphs over Premier League opposition, it is the obvious disappearance of it during their final two pre-season friendlies that demands questions to be answered on the pitch. The defeats to Kidderminster & Tranmere Rovers poses many problems for the manager to ponder over in the week leading up to their first fixture of the season to relegated Plymouth Argyle; a game which I believe could answer the big question at the earliest possible stage of the season; are we ready for League One?

If Town can look back at August with wins over Plymouth & fellow former League One outfit Swindon Town, I believe suggestions that Town are favourites for promotion could well be justified. Failing this, the ‘big wake-up call’ from our promotion dream will return the club to the mid-table mediocrity.

Key to the club’s success this season will be how soon the new signings can gel with the team. There is always an inevitable feeling of optimism within any club when a host of new signings are made, but in Shrewsbury’s case they each have a difficult task of individually proving they can further develop Town’s strong performance from last season.

With striker Matt Harrold departing for Bristol Rovers at the end of last season, the biggest question of Shrewsbury fan’s off-season was who would fill his boots? Step forward former Aldershot striker Marvin Morgan, a 6ft 5” striker that boasts experience and a favourable goal scoring record, but never proven at a high level. In my opinion, he could be a potential signing of the season if he can match his non-league scoring ability in League Two.

In two other signings, I believe Shrewsbury could seriously benefit from their respective experiences at International U21 level. Left-back Joe Jacobson has followed the fast moving footsteps of a certain Gareth Bale through the Welsh U21 National Team and would’ve undoubtedly benefitted from his long spell in the team, and with former Walsall & England U21 left-sided player Matt Richards, both players could well start a healthy partnership and bring some fresh impetus on the left side.

Talking of experience, Reuben Hazell was a former Oldham player/captain that will provide another leader within the team. At 32, he has bags of experience to bring onto the pitch and alongside Cansdell-Sherriff and Sharps, I would go as far as saying we have got the best central defenders in the league.

The squad looks incredibly strong for a promotion push, although we lack a creative player in the middle, which was visible against the promoted teams last season especially. There is a strong intake of youth players coming through the squad, and along with Morgan up front, I was ready to tip young striker Tom Bradshaw as my one to watch this season. However he faces the first month of the season on the side-lines after a knee injury he picked up against Wolves during pre-season, and a strong season for Shrewsbury could rest on how quick he can return to the full promise he displayed prior to his injury. Prepare the Oxygen Chamber!

Written by Michael Aldridge, We Are Going Up’s Shrewsbury Town Blogger

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