The New Era Begins

The close season has already began with a massive announcement and we are pleased to see the club learning from their mistakes 2 years ago and have the new kits on sale straight after the final kick of the season. 

The rumours were doing their rounds for the last couple of weeks but having learnt about the new kit being available after Plymouths game some weeks ago it was always funny listening and reading the outrageous claims that many Salop fans decided to make up.

But the look of the new kits surpassed all expectations and seeing the Loggerheads take their place on the new kit is a fantastic achievement for all involved in the Bring Back The Loggerheads campaign. It is obvious the new kit has gone down really well with Salop fans and that was obvious with the masses donning both home and away tops in the Brooklands on Saturday evening.

The promotional video is also a new idea that has gone down a treat with the video being played straight after the final whistle on Saturday. If you haven’t seen it yet then don’t worry you can see it now.

We hope that all Salopians celebrate the start of ‘The New Errea’ and the shirts sell in high numbers.

#SingYourHeartsOut Update

We have let you have your say in response to our #SingYourHeartsOutCampaign and the response has been incredible with the majority backing the campaign so before we continue we must thank you all for getting behind our vision.

Many people have suggested bringing the drum back which is a possibility but unfortunately Alex who is the one who owns the drum has declared that it is broke and hasn’t been able to replace it due to finances!

So we turn to you, our fellow Salopians to help with donations to fund for a brand new drum. We have contacted Salop Music and are pricing up a brand new drum to use at all Salop games and hopefully if things go well we will have the new drum at the Dagenham game.

As well as that we are looking at different ideas for the 3 other home games which we have left in the season and we will have something to announce in the next 48 hours in regards to the Exeter game. Also we are drawing up a few ideas for the Plymouth game which will hopefully be a complete sell out in anticipation for the promotion party (Championship party even). Obviously everything we do will be put to the club first and we will be looking for co-operation from all parties involved to make sure we don’t upset everyone.

As always we are still looking for your ideas as to what you think we could do to improve the atmosphere at Greenhous Meadow. You can send all ideas to salopsbluearmy@gmail.com or tweet us @SalopsBlueArmy and we will take all ideas in to account.

As said before we do thank everyone for all your support so far and we hope to make #SingYourHeartsOut campaign a successful one and make Greenhous Meadow a noisy, hostile stadium.

 

#SingYourHeartsOut

We are now into the most important time of the season and its blatant to see supporters are still not backing the team at Greenhous Meadow and we are taking it upon ourselves to get this changed!

Depsite a fantastic season with Mickey Mellon masterminding what seems to be a swift return to League One, the crowds are still down and the atmosphere at Greenhous Meadow is woeful and we and many are questioning what could be done to change this.

This campaign is going to be a permanent feature for us until we believe the Meadow is a noisy and hostile stadium. Hopefully with the backing of all Supporter Groups, the club and local press we could make this campaign a success and get the meadow “rocking”

Thinking caps are officially glued to several members of SBA and from now until the next home game we will be posting some ideas up on here so keep your eyes glue and if you have any ideas to help us with this campaign then feel free to send them in either on Twitter @SalopsBlueArmy or email us at salopsbluearmy@gmail.com and we will respond to every email.

All thats left to say for now is #SingYourHearsOut

#Salop #MMBA

Derby Day Info

This Saturday Salop take on Walsall at the Bescot Stadium for the 4th time in 3 seasons but this one has a different feel surrounding the game. You look on Twitter, Facebook, Blue & Amber and even ticket sales (300) on Monday alone and you get the feeling Salop fans have a little bit more confidence about Salop coming home with a famous win for the first time in 22 years.

Obviously everyone knows where Walsall is and how to get there in the car and we obviously know Smithy and OSC will be running coaches leaving as close to midday as they can but derby days are all about catching the train and having a few beers, sing song on the way and going in good numbers.

We have suggested everyone from Shrewsbury and the surrounding areas who do fancy the train to meet up in The Shrewsbury Hotel at about 9am then catching the 10:33 train to Birmingham New Street.

It would be great to see as many of you as possible on that train and for more info on what to do in Walsall and Birmingham, we will have a full Away Day Info up on Thursday.

Also any updates on our plan will be put on our Twitter page @salopsbluearmy so keep your eye on there throughout the week

#Salop

Dagenham Preview

Focus now back to the next game it is only fair we help you with your away day essential info and it is a club we have had lots of memories against in recent history including that 2-1 win to secure our place in the plays off and of course that 1-0 win to see Salop promoted to League 1 back in 2012.

Dagenham are a “small team” in League 2 but have enjoyed some decent seasons including a season long spell in League 1 only to find themselves now stuck in 21st place in League 2 only 4 points off the bottom. This doesn’t mean its going to be a easy task as Dagenham always seem to find a result against the top teams plus Salop did lose 5-0 there back in 2009. Obviously we have said that to keep everyones feet on the ground but when it comes to head-to-head form, well we’ll let it speak for itself.

Head-To-Head

Played – 9

Won –  7

Drawn – 1

Lost – 1

Form

In the last 6 games (league only) Shrewsbury have won 4 and lost 2 which is a stark contrast to Dagenham who’s form includes 3 defeats, 1 draw and 2 wins.

Dagenham have only won 2 of their 6 games at home so far this season and have lost the other 4 games which included their most recent home defeat to Newport County. Salop on the other hand have only won once away from home in the league (1-0 to York City) and lost 4 with 1 draw on the opening day so it will be a case of bucking the dismal away record to beat a side who seemingly don’t like playing in front of their own fans.

The Ground

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium is a proper old school non league ground. They have 2 side of shallow terracing, 1 of which is uncovered and 2 sides of covered seating. The away end, otherwise known as the Traditional Builders Stand is a modern stand which can host 1200 away fans with full view of the pitch. It is actually the best stand in the stadium and it’s design helps to create a decent racket throughout the game. Now as people may be aware, you are raised from the pitch so have to climb a couple of stairs to get to the stand but nothing too strenuous. Also a word of warning, the tunnel is in the away end so you will be blocked of for a few minutes at the start, half time and full time so just keep that in mind.

Drink and Food Info

Away fans have been advised that they may be allowed into the social club based at the ground but this could change in the coming days as it is solely down the clubs digression. The only other pub in the area is the Eastbrook Pub but we don’t know too much about that and we haven’t been told of anywhere else of interest unless you fancy hoping on the tube and finding a decent pub.

As for food well again there isn’t much to choose from in terms of establishments in the area but you can get food in the ground which is reasonably priced ranging from a 1/2 Cheese Burger at £3.80 to Chips at £2.

Tickets

Adults £21, Concessions £15, Under 17’s £12, Under 10’s Free (with a full paying adult bought in advance)

Verdict

As long as the focus during the week has been good and the squad is rotated to keep the lads fresh then we can’t see anything less than a Salop win. We also expect us to carry on improving the great goals for column so lets stick our neck on the line and go for a 3-0 win.

And Finally

This is a hugely important game. With this the last game before a week away from league action it would be great to go into the FA Cup weekend on the back of another league win making it 5 on the bounce. This is a game where the support will need to be at it’s best so we encourage everyone to make the journey to Dagenham to cheer the lads on. We hope to see you al down there for what is set to be a great game

#SALOP

Message To Fans

We all know the tickets for Salop v Chelsea have sold out including extra tickets for the temporary seating in the east/south/west corners. This is fantastic news for the club but we do have 2 important games before starting off with a trip to York on Saturday.

It would be brilliant if any of these new fans who have got tickets for the Chelsea game to show a interest in the club and travel to York. Not only is York a important game but if we win there then it’s a massive kick start to Salops’ season and surely you can’t get a better chance than against a club without a manager and with Dave Winfield in the back 4.

Ticket details are as followed

Standing
Adult                 £18
Over 65s           £12
Students           £12
Juniors U16       £12
Under 5’s          FREE

Seating
Adult                 £19
Over 65s           £13
Students           £13
Juniors U16       £13
Under 5’s          FREE

We do urge all fans to travel to York and show their support for a team which has definitely caught the countys’ eye and support.

All thats left to say is #SALOP

Free Travel To Gillingham? (The Least We Deserve)

What a poor poor season. Town are all but relegated and we still have 2 games left including a excruciating trip down to Gillingham!

As fans this season we have been through a lot with very little reward from the club. Tuesday night trips to Bristol, Carlisle and Colchester were still well represented by Salop fans. With number well over 100 for the long trips to Carlisle and Colchester you cannot fault the loyalty of Salopians. Even for the Preston game when most Salop fans were still seething after the Good Friday performance more than 300 fans travelled to see the 5-2 defeat.

Surely the club has to look at rewarding the fans for Shrewsburys’ last game of the season. So we ask you – the fans, to vote and lets put some pressure on Shrewsbury Town FC to take some action.

All thats’ left to say is “WE ARE GOING DOWN”

Away Day Memories – Chris Elliott

Over the last few days we have been asking for your Away Day Memories. And as a lot of you have been getting in touch, one person has managed to set a benchmark for all Memories.

Chris Elliott has relived his favorite memory from a match from 28 years ago.

Huddersfield 1-5 Shrewsbury,

Sat 8 Sept 1984

This might seem an age ago (is it really 28 years?) but the memories are fresh of a great away day following the Town.

It was autumn 1984 and as a 17 year old who’d recently passed his driving test, away games were now the target. I was now mobile and the choice of vehicle was irrelevant – which was just as well as the only choice was to borrow Mum’s Mini City.

With a potent 950cc engine this bad boy’s first task was to ship me, Richie, Paul and Ant to Huddersfield for the Division 2 fixture (equivalent to League 1 now).  This was at their old Leeds Road ground, a classic old stadium and far removed from it’s current modern replacement, whatever it’s called this season.

On the way there we soon found that top speed on the uphill stretches of the M62 was about 50mph, slower than many of the HGVs who formed a queue in the middle lane of the motorway to get past.  All fine until one of them forgot we were there and started pulling in to our lane.  A swerve into the hard shoulder and a few deep breaths and on we went, underwear maybe a few shades browner.

The match started with predictable home chants of “you must have come in a taxi”.  There was a respectable couple of hundred Town fans but on the large away terrace behind one goal it’s fair to say we had elbow room to spare.  The Terriers’ chants were silenced though as Town racked up five goals with just one in reply.  I’ve tried to find more match details but can’t although I think Gary Stevens may have got a hat trick and Colin Robinson was also on the score sheet.

The Division 2 table that night made good reading for Salop fans with the team tucked in behind Leeds and Birmingham in 3rd place and as the top scorers too with 11 in the first 4 games.  With Ant telling us on the way home that his parents were getting a new dog that day he was adamant it could only be called one thing “Five F***ing One” !!  They should have listened as in March for the return league game at the Meadow guess what …. we beat them 5-1 again!

Nothing beats away days, even losses tend to leave a long-lasting memory of the journey, the away pub or something else.  Whilst some of the details are hazy, probably through celebrating hard that night back in Shrewsbury, this day summed up the fun of getting on the road to see the boys.

We would like to thank Chris for taking his time to do such a great piece for us and to set a great benchmark for others to follow. If you have a away day memory then why not tweet us what it is and you might find yourself featured on our blog like Chris was.

Tweet us at @salopsbluearmy 

Town Vs Hereford

Well it’s November now, and all football fans know what that means… It’s FA Cup time!!

Over recent years the FA Cup has produced numerous shocks, and has certainly reduced the egos of many of the so called “Big Teams”.

The draw has worked it’s magic again this year, and has pitted Town against local rivals and Blue Square Bet Premier promotion hopefuls Hereford United.

The Bulls have had a mixed history in the Cup with the highlight coming in 1972 when as a Southern League club they knocked top-flight Newcastle United off their perches.

Town meanwhile have had a some results which have shocked the fans; a one-nil loss to Staines Town in 2009 and a three-one loss to Blythe Spartans the year before certainly left fans wondering about our cup form. However, a good run under Turner last season presented us with a third round trip to Middlesbrough. Salop fought hard in that game and eventually went down one-nil at the Riverside.

Salop last met Hereford in the cup in 2006, when a nil-nil draw at the Gay Meadow – in the first round – meant that Town had a trip to Edgar Street to keep themselves in the competition. The Bulls won that game two-nil in front of their fans, sending Town players and fans home with their tails between their legs.

Let’s hope this year Turner and the lads can string together another run of results in the FA Cup starting at Edgar Street on Saturday. The game could well be a feisty affair with it being Turner’s return to a club he spent so many years at, not to mention Rob Purdie who will have a point to prove against his former club.

A note for fans: the game is kicking off at 1PM due to policing arrangements.

Breathe on ’em Salop!

Fletch

Player of the Month

So you have voted for #BlueArmyMOM over the last month. We have counted the votes and the you have made Asa Hall your player of the month.

Asa has been brought in since Richards was pushed back into left back after the injury of Jacobson and he has definitely been worthy of the call up. With 2 goals to his name against Colchester after coming off the bench must mean he is the best person to partner Summerfield in midfield.

Do you think Turner should drop Richards and play Hall in midfield with Summerfield or should he come of the bench and try and make a impact.

We want you to give us your thoughts on the above question by either commenting on here or tweeting us.