For the second time in two years Wembley did not proven  to be a happy hunting ground for Town as they missed out on promotion once again, writes Shrewsbury Town blogger James Pugh.

To concede such a late goal in the 1-0 defeat to Gillingham was heartbreaking for the thousands of Salopians who had made the trip down to the capital.

In the end not enough of our big-game players performed well enough on the day and Gillingham were worthy of their win, despite some doubts over whether it was corner in the lead-up to the goal.

Expectations at the beginning of the season were high. We had a top manager in charge who made some big money signings, but it has proven to be a disappointing campaign, meaning we will be forced to play League Two football once again next year.

After an excellent start, we lost our way after other teams got going, which forced Simpson to field a different side every week and bring in panic signings. I would have said we had a decent enough squad to win promotion, but having too much ‘dead wood’ and players who weren’t up for the promotion challenge has cost us.

On the upside we did well getting to the play-off final, which a few weeks ago didn’t look possible and we have the basis to mount another challenge next year as long as Simpson can get it right in the summer.

Here is how I feel our main men have fared this season:

Daniels – 8 (out of 10). Has earned us a lot of points with some fine displays, but has also made some costly errors.

Garner – 5. Not given much of a chance.

Moss – 8. Mr Reliable.

Herd – 6. Another who wasn’t given much of a chance and was released by Simpson, who seems to prefer more physical players.

Ashton – 7. Rarely let the team down.

Coughlan – 9. My Town player of the season who was a rock at the back and fantastic leader.

Langmead – 8. Continues to improve and formed an excellent partnership with Coughlan in defence.

Jackson – 7. Looked a great signing at the beginning of the campaign, but has been hampered by injury.

Cansdell-Sherriff – 6. Inconsistent after being in and out of the team.

Dunfield – 4. Very disappointing since his move from Macclesfield.

Murray – 7. Shown glimpses of quality in midfield, but has never looked 100% fit.

Davies – 8. Too many quiet games, but his goals and assists were valuable in getting us into the play-offs.

McIntyre – 7. His importance to the side was not evident until he got injured.

Leslie – 6. Improving, but still has a long way to go to prove himself at this level.

Humphrey – 7. Improving and lots of exciting moments, but still suffers from inconsistency.

Worrall – 6. Has shown glimpses that he could make it a higher level.

Holt – 9. Re-paid his high transfer fee with lots of goals and worked his socks off.

Chadwick – 5. Not enough goals.

Ashikodi – 6. Not enough goals.

Riza – 6. Haven’t seen enough of him as yet, but there were signs that he could make it as this level.

Walker – 4. High expectations, but has been a real disappointment.

Simpson – 7. Failed to achieve promotion and his man-management skills have been questionable, but still the right man for the job.

Simpson has already started on next season’s preparations, where expectation will be even greater on him to get the side promoted. He has got rid of a number of out of contract players, with Ashton and Herd being the surprises. He will also be looking to get rid of players like Garner and Hibbert who are still under contract.

In terms of new faces, we obviously need to replace Herd and Ashton and also need to bring in an attacking midfielder and two ‘goal-scoring’ strikers to take the pressure of Holt.