5 Games In

So 5 games in to the season and what a start it has been. Town lie in the bottom half of the table after a really tough start against some teams who are expected to do well.

Pos	Name	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Notts County	5	4	0	1	9	4	5	12
2	Tranmere	5	3	2	0	11	2	9	11
3	Stevenage	5	3	2	0	6	3	3	11
4	Yeovil Town	5	3	1	1	10	4	6	10
5	Sheffield Utd	5	2	3	0	9	6	3	9
6	Crawley Town	5	3	0	2	5	6	-1	9
7	Brentford	5	2	2	1	9	6	3	8
8	Preston	5	2	2	1	7	4	3	8
9	Walsall	5	2	2	1	5	6	-1	8
10	MK Dons	5	2	1	2	5	3	2	7
11	Swindon Town	5	2	1	2	5	5	0	7
12	Carlisle	5	2	1	2	7	9	-2	7
13	Crewe	5	2	1	2	5	8	-3	7
14	Doncaster	4	2	0	2	6	4	2	6
15	Bournemouth	5	1	3	1	7	8	-1	6
16	Portsmouth	5	1	2	2	8	8	0	5
17	Shrewsbury	5	1	2	2	5	6	-1	5
18	Hartlepool	4	1	1	2	3	4	-1	4
19	Oldham	4	1	1	2	2	4	-2	4
20	Coventry City	5	0	3	2	5	7	-2	3
21	Leyton Orient	4	1	0	3	2	5	-3	3
22	Colchester	5	0	3	2	3	8	-5	3
23	Bury	5	0	2	3	4	8	-4	2
24	Scunthorpe	5	0	1	4	2	12	-10	1

There have been lots of talking points including;
Firing Blanks
Paul Parry’s Thunderbolt
Jermaine better than Messi

The main talking point has to be the fact we are missing the cutting edge in front of goal.

But this time last season we had only scored 6 goals against some sides that, on paper, we should have put 3 or 4 past. Roll on 12 months and we have played 5 teams who we all expected to walk away with nothing but instead we have been walking away disappointed because we have failed to take our chances and we only have 1 win to our name so far.

This table below shows the average shots per game.

Pos

Team

P

Shots  [F]

Shots  [A]

Target%  [F]

Target%  [A]

Goal%  [F]

Goal%  [A]

7	Brentford	5	16.40	9.60	41.46	60.42	26.47	20.69
15	Bournemouth	5	12.80	9.60	43.75	41.67	25.00	40.00
17	Shrewsbury	5	12.40	9.60	38.71	50.00	20.83	25.00
6	Crawley Town	5	12.20	9.20	42.62	52.17	19.23	25.00
1	Notts County	5	12.00	9.20	48.33	52.17	31.03	16.67
24	Scunthorpe	5	11.80	10.80	42.37	51.85	8.00	42.86
4	Yeovil	5	11.40	13.80	47.37	49.28	37.04	11.76
20	Coventry	5	10.80	10.00	50.00	54.00	18.52	25.93
8	Preston	5	10.40	6.80	59.62	47.06	22.58	25.00
16	Portsmouth	5	10.40	10.00	46.15	34.00	33.33	47.06
9	Walsall	5	10.20	14.60	43.14	45.21	22.73	18.18
3	Stevenage	5	9.00	11.80	64.44	50.85	20.69	10.00
10	Milton Keynes Dons	5	9.00	10.00	48.89	40.00	22.73	15.00
19	Oldham	4	9.00	10.25	36.11	48.78	15.38	20.00
5	Sheffield United	5	8.80	8.60	45.45	23.26	45.00	60.00
14	Doncaster	4	8.75	9.75	42.86	35.90	40.00	28.57
2	Tranmere	5	8.60	6.20	37.21	48.39	68.75	13.33
18	Hartlepool	4	8.50	10.50	29.41	61.90	30.00	15.38
12	Carlisle	5	8.40	10.20	47.62	41.18	35.00	42.86
23	Bury	5	8.00	10.00	52.50	40.00	19.05	40.00
13	Crewe	5	7.40	11.40	51.35	42.11	26.32	33.33
21	Leyton Orient	4	7.25	7.75	41.38	58.06	16.67	27.78
11	Swindon	5	7.00	7.20	60.00	33.33	23.81	41.67
22	Colchester	5	6.60	11.20	42.42	41.07	21.43	34.78

As you can see we are 3rd in averages but when it comes to shots on target, we struggle having only 38.71%

Brentford have had the most shots off target with us following in second.

Out of 64 shots in the first 5 games we have only managed to score 5 and only 1 of them have come from Marvin Morgan who is the only striker to score for us so far this season.

Our Goalscorers so Far

Paul Parry – 2

Marvin Morgan – 1

Matt Richards – 1

Jermaine Grandison – 1

People will say it doesn’t matter where the goals come from, but it is very obvious goals will dry up and our strikers haven’t looked up to the challenge of being prolific.

As we have already said this has been the main talking point and it seems the only talking point of the season from your reaction on twitter

@vanner1989: we’re going to finish 6th-12th, could do with 1 more striker if Doble isn’t going to be used. Happy days!

We want more reaction off you in the build up to our clash against Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Our question of the day is;

How Many Points Do You Expect Us To Get Over The Next 2 Home Games

Also we want to know,

Who is your Player of the Season So Far

Don’t forget to get in touch in the usual ways

Twitter – @SalopsBlueArmy

Or search for us on Facebook our name is Shrewsbury Town Supporters

Salop Vs Tranmere

Well, the days do fly by between matches! And after getting of the mark with a great 1-0 win over Preston on Tuesday night, Turner and the lads will be looking to get one over on the pacesetters of this campaign, Tranmere Rovers.

The arrival of Tranmere brings our second home game of the season, and another chance to extend our unbeaten home run, this time to 34 competitive matches. However, the visitors will come into this game with the uptmost of confidence after convincing wins over Leyton Orient on the opening day, and most recently Carlisle. Rovers midfielder Andy Robinson will be a man to watch carfully after scoring his first hat-trick on on Tuesday.

No matter how strong Tranmere have looked in their opening fixtures, I believe that Town have the capability to get a result from this game, and add yet more eyecatching results to the history books at the fortress that is the Greenhous Meadow!!

Breathe on ’em Salop!

Fletch

Salop 1-0 PNE

A stunning strike by Paul Parry secured town their first win of the campaign and extended their unbeaten home record to 33 games!

Going into this game not many people expected a home win and to be fair we were living in hope that our unbeaten home record wouldn’t be ruined in the return of a new season.

But those of you who were anxious needn’t have worried when Paul Parry smashed a shot into the top corner to get town off and running.

There has been many people trying to explain the goal but the best tweet goes to the Official Shrewsbury Town Twitter Page @shrewsweb

@shrewsweb: GOAL! Town 1-0 PNE. Parry, 4. Paul unleashes an absolute thunderbolt from all of 20 yards after only four minutes!

The rest of the first half was end to end with really interesting football being played but both sides couldn’t find the next goal.

Half time arrived and the fans got to experience the cues and the delights of Jennies catering before taking their seats 5 minutes into the second half after enjoying a chicken balti pie and a pint.

Second half started how it finished. Some brilliant football being played but Preston had no luck down either wings with Purdie and Grandison being in top form.

It wasn’t long until town came close to a second after Purdie headed just wide after a great corner from Wright.

Apart from that, the second half was end to end and very entertaining. And just over 5000 town fans went home happy yet again.

Overall Attendance
6444 (1016 from PNE)

Atmosphere

Well what a night. Great atmosphere with Turner even commenting on how loud we were. Some decent new songs being trialled as well and hopefully in a few weeks they will be heard all around the fortress.

Players Reaction

@markwright1982: Great result tonight good to get are first 3 points on the board and still undefeated at home roll on Saturday #salop

@JermaineG_2: Great team performance tonight and great 1-0 victory. The lads worked hard for it. Roll on Saturday now! Another 3 points needed. #Salop

@LukeSummers25: A great win for us tonight! Great effort from all the boys and what a hit from PP! #tekkers bring on saturday! #salop

@Big_Hec35: Great result tonight good to get a clean sheet #BOOM good to get a tough 90 minutes #GoodTimes

Fans Reaction

@tim_woodhouse: Lose 1-0 on Sat to 4th minute goal, score in 4th minute tonight and win 1-0. Going to be one of those seasons in #league1 #Salop #saloppne

@Ten2ndSplat: hecs (Michael Hector) made a big change from sat and was getting his boot and head on everything he could MOM for me

@jason2salop: Was very impressed by Purdie tonight but still a big fan of Parry especially after that strike! #WelshWizard

@Tiptontheref13: grandison MOM, Purdie was also solid and played well in my view and Jones put in some crucial blocks/challenges

@shrewsTRUST2010: #salop Best moment was PNE player falling over after Grandison beat him for pace

@tom_shrews: Great performance from all the players tonight especially @markwright1982 #MOTM

@ConnorQuentin: Great match, Great goal and Great atmosphere. Well played Shrewsbury. SALOP!

The Award For Most Controversial Tweet Goes To

@Robmartindale91: @nickywroe and @Shane10112 on that bus home could of been in bed now with 3 points. On the #m6 #pointless . #itsnotaboutthepricetag #SALOP

Get In Touch

We want to know who your man of the match is. Voting closes Thursday 23rd August at 8pm. We will then announce who got man of the match and hopefully at the end of the season we can give a trophy to the player who had the most votes.

How to vote

You can contact us on twitter or Facebook
@salopsbluearmy

facebook.com/salopsbluearmy

Sheffield United 1-0 Salop

So the first game of our return to the third tier of the football league ended in a defeat after David McAlister scored to give the Blades their first 3 points of the season and Salops second defeat in Yorkshire in 7 days.

But don’t be disheartened by the scoreline because Salop deserved at least a point. There were plenty of opportunities as sky sports iPhone app shows below.

The closest we got to scoring was when Terry Gornell had a goal disallowed. We believe this was a close call.
Also Paul Parry came close just before half time when a cracking chip hit the post.

Second half and town came out but continued to shoot blanks. With Wright coming close as well as substitutes Wildig, Hall, and Bradshaw all having shots but failing to grab the equaliser.

But the main talking point has to be the fans.

Captain Matt Richards said on twitter “@Richo03: Thanks 4 the amazing support yesterday shrewsbury fans,the team thought it was tremendous! Disappointing result,we’ll put it right Tuesday!”

We don’t know how many people woke up with voices today but we think not many. Singing for 90 minutes. Great colour and were a credit to the club.

We out sang the Sheffield United fans and even the Blades fans mentioned on their message board how good we were.

Also Jermaine Grandison mentioned the fans when he tweeted:

@JermaineG_2: Disappointing result today. We deserved to get a result tho. I wanna give a shout out to the shrews fans that travelled. You were excellent!

So we want to thank you for getting behind the lads and lets continue this great vocal support at home games, as well as the brilliant numbers away from home.

Fans Reaction

@jason2salop: Happy enough just need somebody to take those chances! Collins came good last year, hopefully one of the others will this! Thought Parry was the best player on the pitch!

@IanEStreet: MOTM Parry. We need to replace James Collins. More solid at the back. Jones is the new sharps. JJ & Hall might be in on tues

@edwards1746: good performance and parry was my MOM but do need to bring in a striker to convert the chances we are making #strongmidfield

@Ten2ndSplat: Parry MOM think we’ve got the team, most our shots were hit into the ground making it easy for keeper. Also need to shot more from distance stead of trying 2 pass our way 2 goal.Otherwise I’d say brilliant against a strong team!

@SamG_15: Great performance all that was missing was someone to finish our chances! Parry MOTM also impressed with @dljones83 #salop

@BurrowsAbout: I said we needed a proven goalscorer. This proves we need a proven goalscorer. Had Blades on the wrack. Deserved a point #Salop

@HCaslin: Great performance by the lads yesterday proud to be a shrews fan just need that one out and out goalscorer #salop

@Joelstfc_: Still can’t get over how we did not win yesterday. I recall Sheffield having 3 shots on target compared to our 9/10. We need to be clinical in front of goal. Our fans were phenomenal, let’s just hope for the same Tuesday and we get 3 points! #stfc #salop

@paulboff: Played well against a good solid side, but if we could hit a shot clean, we’d have got a point and maybe more! #salopblades

Next up it’s Preston at home Tuesday night followed by Tranmere at home on Saturday.

If you haven’t got your ticket then get down and get it. Let’s make the fortress a hostile place to come by being loud and getting behind the lads.

We are going to feature fans in our Preston Build up feature over the next couple of days so of you want to tweet about the game then put #saloppne in your tweet and you may feature.

If you have any feedback then get in touch the usual ways;
Twitter – @salopsbluearmy
Like us on Facebook

Preston Build Up

So for the first bit of our build up to Salop‘s first home game in league one and we have managed to get a Preston fan give us a little preview.

Hello Thank you for taking part.

First of all tell us a bit about yourself:

Name:Jordan

Age:16

First Game you watched: PNE vs Birmingham 2001 Division 1 Play-offs

Best ever game you watched: Leeds 4-6 Preston

Favourite Player: Scott Laird

What do you expect from PNE this season?
Play-offs at least. We have a totally different squad to last season but we still have the quality to be at the top end of the league.

What do you think of all the signings you have made this season?
We have a full new squad and haven’t spent any money, so i would say that i’m happy with the signings that we’ve made. We have signed a lot of leaders and players that have been captains at their previous clubs. Also i thnk the squad is better now than what it was last season.

Star Player?
We’ve only played one league game with the new squad so it’s hard to say but i’d go with John Mousinho or Scott Laird.

From what you have seen so far, what do you think of Nicky Wroe and SCS?
Both look like good players, two of the better signings that we have made. Wroe looks like he has great technical ability and SCS looks solid at the back. Can’t really judge them yet as they’ve only played two competitive games for us.

How would you describe the last few years following PNE?
The last few years have been terrible, just hope that Graham Westley can turn it around.

Preston fans have has a turbulent few seasons.

Your thoughts on Graham Westley?
Well everyone can see he’s a bit of a nutter but i think he can do good things for PNE. He has received a lot of abuse from PNE fans but i think he’ll turn it around this season.

What type of football are we expected to see PNE play on Tuesday?
Everyone associates Westley with ‘Hoof ball’ but it’s far from that, we pass it around when we need to and get it forward when we need to. Our style of play is quite defensive but it is also effective and i think it will work better for us when we play away from home because teams will attack us more.

“That Graham Westley, he texts who he wants”

Is there any position you feel you need to add to?
We are in desperate need of a striker, somebody who can score goals.

What are we to expect from Preston fans (famous chant, banter, loud?)
PNE fans are very average, better than most in league one though! A bit of banter with the ‘Oh Graham Westley, he texts when he wants’ chant. I would say about 750 PNE fans will make the journey.

Season Prediction

Shrewsbury: 14th
PNE: 5th

Match Prediction

Shrewsbury 0-1 PNE (Wroe)

Thanks for taking part. we hope you enjoy the game and your visit to Shrewsbury

Don’t forget you can follow us on twitter. Our page is @salopsbluearmy
We are also on Facebook just click facebook.com/salopsbluearmy

Fletch’s Thoughts Ahead Of the New Season

Well, what an exciting season this promises to be for everyone connected with Shrewsbury Town. This season, the club will be back, after an absence of 15 years, in League One. Being a lifelong supporter myself, I can’t wait for the big kick-off in the league at Sheffield United.

If the prospect of League One football at the Greenhous Meadow isn’t enough to whet your appetite, then surely some of the teams we are scheduled to play has to entice you down to see the lads. Preston,

Sheffield United,
Crawley,
Stevenage,
Coventry and
Doncaster are just some of the eye-catching fixtures for the Town this year. Who in their right mind would want to miss a game?

I have to say I’m impressed with some of the talent and names that Graham Turner has bought in over the summer. Although I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that was slightly concerned with the amount of vital players from the 2011-12 season that left. The departures that shocked me the most had to be those of Nicky Wroe, Ian Sharps, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff and James Collins. The latter of which wrote his name into the Town history books by scoring the crucial, winning goal that sealed our promotion from League Two. The capture’s of Asa Hall, Paul Parry, Darren Jones and Rob Purdie are certainly not ones to be dismissed, as they could provide the strength and player diversity needed to survive at the next level.

League Prediction
I feel that with the squad that Turner has put together we are more than capable of surviving our first season in League One for 15 years. Therefore my end of season position prediction is Mid-Table/Top half of table.

I’d like to wish all the best to the players that left us at the end of last season.

Breathe on ‘em Salop!

Fletch

If you have any feedback about the post then feel free to tweet either us
@salopsbluearmy
Or tweet fletch
@salopian_fletch

Sheffield United Ticket Details

The first game of the season see’s Salop take on the Blades at Bramall Lane and the ticket details have been announced.

Town have been given a initial allocation of just over 1000 with the chance of a extra 2000 tickets.

Ticket Prices

Adults – £19.50

Concessions – £15

Under 16’s – £9.50

There is a maximum of 5 tickets per person.

So go and claim your tickets before they do run out.

Seasons Expectations

So we have asked you on twitter if you wanted to take part in our blog giving us your prediction for the season ahead. We have Alex Yale and Keith Barrow giving us their thoughts ahead of the season.

When did you start following town and why?

Alex; My name is Alex Yale I’m 15 and I live in Wem. I started following the tow when i was 4 years old. My dad decided to take me to a couple of matches at an early age because he wanted to get me into football and my dad has also been following the town for 33 years and ever since i have been going down to the meadow every week with my dad and some mates and try to go to as many away games as possible.

Keith; I’m 31, lived in Shrewsbury since I was 7 and I started supporting the Shrews because my Dad started taking me to games when I was small. Living all over the country means I had to make it to games when I could, including some dire encounters at Darlington, Lincoln, Torquay, Macclesfield, and MK Dons, but now I’m back in Shrews I’m a season ticket holder and am REALLY looking forward to a season in League 1!

2; So after a brilliant end to league 2 which ended up in seeing town promoted, what have you thought about the ins and outs that have happened during the close season?

Alex; I am happy with the ins and outs, turner has made some great signings with Asa Hall, Paul Parry and Luke Summerfield looks quality in the midfield. i think Marvin Morgan looks in great shape for the start of next season! i was a bit gutted when Chris Neal took his time deciding to stay with us or to move on, towards the end of last season he looked like a grat keeper! not to sure what to think of Chris Weale, in pre season he has made a couple of mistakes especially when long shots come at him he seems to struggle a lot.

Keith; I think we were all concerned to see all the contract offers turned down (especially the likes of Wroe, Sheriff, and Collins). Especially as it’s always difficult at this level to get in ‘name’ players, especially when we’re one of the few clubs being sensible with our wages. I think GT has done really well to get together a squad that looks like it can be a threat in League 1, especially worth a mention is the loan signing of Hector.

Alex was gutted to see Chris Neal go

3; Who do you think will be our main player this season?

Alex; I think our main player this season will be Matt Richards who has great vision, and a real strong force in the midfield and can also score a few too. Also Grandison will probably be another main player this season with his solid defense presence and his willing to go forward when he has the ball.

Keith; Hector will be massive this season, he looks like a more refined Grandison and should help ease some of the concerns about Sheriff leaving. I also think Richards will continue where he left off and start running things from midfield even more.

4; Would you like to see any more faces come in and if so who?

Alex; I would like to see an experienced striker come in to go up front with either Morgan or Gornell. Bradshaw looks in great shape also. Not sure who that striker would be there was talks of Darius Vassell but rumours have died down.

Keith; We still need another striker as we only have two proven goalscorers out of all our forwards., but to name someone would be tough. I’ll leave that bit to GT.

Alex Yale “Darius Vassell rumoured with move to Salop died down

5; Now with town being the new boys in league 1 what are you expectations after seeing the new look team?

Alex; I think town will have a good start to league 1, and we have a strong enough squad to cope with the new challenge of league 1.

Keith; I expect us to stay up, but I don’t expect it to be comfortable. I’d love us to upset a few teams but at the end of the season I’d be happy anywhere from 20th upwards.

6; Who do you think will get relegated from league 1?

Alex; I am not to sure who will go down but I’m thinking Walsall, Crewe, and maybe Bury.

Keith; With clubs like Crawley and Swindon coming up and splashing the cash that puts the pressure on some of the more established League 1 sides. Teams like Oldham, Walsall, Hartlepool, and Yeovil will have to pull out all the stops to stay up.

Keith at Wembley stadium

7; And promoted?

Alex; Sheffield United, Coventry and MK Dons maybe in the play offs.

Keith; So many big clubs to choose from! Sheffield United and Preston will expect to be up there, Swindon are spending like money’s going out of fashion so they will want to see a return on their investment. Doncaster have a good set-up and I expect them to be a dark horse too.

Keith expects Doncaster to be dark horses in promotion chase

8; What game are you looking forward to the most both home and away?

Alex Home Coventry because they have a great away support.
Away I am looking forward to the first game of season away to Sheffield United!

Keith; Home and away, its teams like Sheff Utd, Leeds, Preston, Portsmouth… clubs with history, a real fanbase, and should draw in a decent travelling crowd.

Both looking forward to visiting Bramall Lane

9; Final League
Position

Alex, Top 10 but either way im a proud salopian and its going to be a great season following the town.
Keith 18th

Thanks go to Alex and Keith for taking part and we hope to see you backing the town.

Remember you can get in touch with us with your thoughts in the usual ways
Tweet us @salopsbluearmy
Like Us on Facebook
Or Email us salopsbluearmy@gmail.com

Up The Town

Welcome Ryan Doble

So we have signed a new striker. He’s only scored 1 senior goal but he shows great potential.

He comes from Southampton youth system and plays for Wales Under 21. We think this will be a gem of a signing. He doesn’t just play as striker he’s a bit like Jake Robinson he can create chances or others with his pace and creativity.

If you still think this is a wierd signing then shame on you.

Give him a few games and he will be the new hero at fortress meadow.

So there’s only one thing to say.

Welcome Ryan Doble

SALOP