Shrewsbury Town present struck a blow over the club’s past to give supporters encouragement for the future.

Darran Kempson, Jimmy Ryan and Michael Symes all lined up for Accrington Stanley on Saturday determined to prove Paul Simpson was wrong to release them from the Prostar Stadium during the evolution of his playing squad.

But, other than a fine finish from Symes which put this game in the balance for a spell in the second half, the trio cut subdued figures throughout as the visitors enjoyed a largely comfortable victory.

And a victory which was imperative, not only for turning an average start into a relatively good one but also for quelling doubts over the away form.

A 20-game winless streak on the road last season was ultimately what separated Town from plying their trade in League One this season.

And the nature of the beast is such that, had Shrewsbury failed to collect an early win on their travels this term, the doubts may well have crept in once again.

But those fears were put to one side as Shrewsbury became kings for the day at the Crown Ground.

“We needed to get a victory,” said Simpson.

“It’s never an easy place to come to but we believed – without being arrogant – if we performed we could get a result here.

“I’m disappointed we made it a little bit difficult by conceding a goal and not doing the simple things we were doing in the first half but delighted with the three points and the three goals.”

This was the type of result Town produced all too rarely last season, and it was built around a display where the basics were mastered.

For all but a vulnerable 20 minute spell in the second period, Shrewsbury defended with assurance.

And, while keeping possession well at times, they also showed another string to their bow by effectively playing off hard-working attacking duo David Hibbert and Nathan Elder.

Hibbert was to play a dominant role in the opening goal, winning a 17th minute penalty after having his shirt tugged this way and that by Dean Winnard as the pair jostled for a long ball from Graham Coughlan, before Steve Leslie converted.

Shrewsbury restricted  Accrington to just one effort in the opening period, Steve Phillips capping an impressive debut with a one-handed save from Bobby Grant.

And Town should have doubled their advantage before the break as Elder scuffed a golden chance when sent clear by Hibbert.

The complexion of the game changed somewhat after the break with Kelvin Langmead clearing a shot off the line by Sean McConville from a corner within two minutes of the re-start.

Three minutes later and Langmead was the hero at the end, nodding home a Leslie corner for his first goal in 18 months.

Hibbert and Elder both had chances to put the game to bed, before Symes put it back into the melting pot by cutting inside before firing a left foot shot into the roof of the night.

Frustratingly, that still left Shrewsbury searching for their first clean sheet of the season and Town appeared rocked for a handful of minutes as Winnard curled a shot just past the post, while Grant forced a good save from Phillips and then hit the woodwork in quick succession.

But Simpson’s men recovered and the points were wrapped up when Hibbert continued his excellent form with a brilliant finish, killing a Shane Cansdell-Sherriff cross with his first touch before dinking classily over Martin.

Substitute Jake Robinson had three late shots as Shrewsbury searched for a fourth, but the job had already been done.

By James Garrison