Blog: Only one point but Town should be praised for giving it a real go against table-topping Chesterfield, writes Shrewsbury Town blogger James Pugh.

Town proved they can compete with the best by shutting out free-scoring Chesterfield on Saturday. On another day they could have easily won the game.

Some fine saves from Tommy Lee and some disappointing finishing prevented us from picking up what would have been a fine win.

Our recent performances continue to improve, including the impressive 3-1 away win at Accrington last Tuesday.

Turner has made some brave decisions recently, including playing two youngsters upfront, replacing Chris Neal in goal and recalling Steven Leslie in midfield.

Based on the level of performance in the last few games it is hard to argue with the gaffer and would starting players like Ainsworth, Harrold and Robinson have meant we would have picked up more points?

Turner continues to re-shape his squad in a bid to push for promotion by releasing Lewis Neal from his contract.

He was a player with plenty of talent, but for some reason it just didn’t work out for him at the club.

I think we would all agree that along with Kris Bright, he was very much part of the dead wood in the squad and by getting rid of these players, it frees up space for fresh faces.

Next up for Town are two consecutive away trips, starting with Oxford on Tuesday followed by Bury on Friday.

Mid-table Oxford have had an inconsistent season so far, although they are still very much in the running for promotion.

Town can take confidence from the fact they have already been beaten six times in the league at home this season.

Bury are currently in the play-off positions, just two points behind Town with a game in hand.

They have got plenty of goals in them, but do tend to draw a lot of games at home.

I think most fans would take a minimum of four points from the two games. Anything less and we could find ourselves slipping down the table in what is a very tight league.