It was 20 minutes after the final whistle that Paul Simpson emerged from the Adams Park tunnel scratching his head.

No wonder either because the Shrewsbury Town boss was probably still trying to fathom out how his team’s search for a long overdue away victory was still on-going.

Saturday’s lunchtime draw at Wycombe means it is now 19 games since Shrewsbury have registered a League Two win away from the Prostar Stadium.

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But in none of those encounters have Town served up as complete a performance, nor created the same volume of chances, as they did at the home of one of their chief rivals for promotion.

There must be something about Adams Park which sits well with the Town psyche because two of their best displays on the road this term have come at the home of the Chairboys.

And what Simpson would have given to see his team transfer just one of the seven they scored on a spectacular October night in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy into Saturday’s account.

“We are disappointed we haven’t won it but there were a helluva lot of good things,” said the Town boss.

“I thought it was as good a 90 minute performance, particularly away from home, as we have had all season.

“We have shown we can play, we can pass the ball and that there’s fitness in there.

“They were absolutely dead on their feet and we were strong and kept plugging away.

“The players can take a lot of confidence and belief out of it but there’s a disappointment we have only got one point.”

Quite where that leaves Town in the context of promotion is still unclear.

Simpson and has players will refuse to throw in the towel on the automatic positions.

But results elsewhere on Saturday afternoon mean Shrewsbury are now likely to require a perfect six wins from as many matches to contest the top three positions.

Far more likely is that Town’s focus will gradually switch to ensuring they fill one of the four play-off positions.

And while there will be a healthy regard for Chestefield’s charge on the rails, Town will be aided by added confidence and belief, both from Saturday’s performance and an unbeaten run which now stretches to six games.

But how the position would have looked brighter if Town could have forced victory on Saturday.

Richly deserved it would have been too after being the better side by some margin throughout, and particularly in an opening period when they carved out a glut of opportunities.

Ironic then that they should have been trailing at the break, Gary Holt taking advantage of being afforded space around 25 yards from goal to rifle an effort in off the bar.

If that was to prove Wycombe’s sole effort on goal in the first 45 minutes, there was plethora of chances at the other end.

Just to recap, Ben Davies fired over from close range, Grant Holt went close with a volley and header, Kelvin Langmead saw an effort deflected just wide, Chris Humphrey’s stinging 20 yard drive flashed inches past the post and David Worrall scuffed a chance from seven yards after a fumble from Wycombe goalkeeper Jamie Young.

And that’s before a correctly disallowed goal from Graham Coughlan – the infringement came from handball – is taken into account.

With Holt and Davies then having decent opportunities kept out by Young, there could be no argument that Town more than warranted their 74th minute leveller.

Davies did well to get on the end of a pin-point Steve Leslie cross after a build-up which epitomised Town’s swift passing football which was a trademark of the afternoon, aided by a 4-2-3-1 formation in which Worrall, Davies and Humphrey all supported Holt.

“I was happy with the way the system worked,” said Simpson. “Their goal came after 30 minutes – before that we were never in trouble and we caused them all sorts of problems.

“People can say what they like that one up front is negative but it showed Saturday it wasn’t negative.

“We were very positive, created opportunities, worked hard and the players believed in it.”

Whether this point will be enough will only become clear on May 2. But many more performances on the road like this and Town will surely soon be boarding their coach with three points from an away game.

By James Garrison