It may not have quite been the result to re-write one section of Shrewsbury Town’s recent history.

But while Paul Simpson’s side missed out on a fifth successive League victory – the first time the club would have achieved that feat for 14 years – this gritty share of the spoils was very much a point gained.

There was a minor and inevitable disappointment that the winning sequence which has illuminated the first quarter of Town’s League Two campaign came to an end at windswept Christie Park.

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But successful sides emerge from the type of gruelling away battles Shrewsbury have engaged in at Cheltenhan and now Morecambe with something to show for their efforts.

Four points, therefore, will go down as a very satisfying return as Town now prepare to turn their attention to a return to Lancashire tomorrow night when it’s destination Accrington in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

“It’s a good point for us,” said Simpson.

“It’s never an easy place to come and they are on a good run – albeit a lot of draws.

“After getting off to such a good start, I thought if we had carried on doing those things we could have gone on to win it.

“As it turned out, both sides will probably think they could have got a win out of it.

“So I’m pleased that it keeps our run going and it again shows there is a character there to roll the sleeves up and deal with some very difficult conditions.”

The learning experience also continued at Morecambe, not least for midfielder Joss Labadie.

A sweetly struck free-kick from 25 yards which gave Town a seventh minute lead capped an excellent first half display from the towering midfielder.

But frustration appeared to get the better of the 18-year-old from the moment the second half began and two yellow cards within six minutes condemned him to the first red card of his career just an hour after his fifth goal.

The opening caution came after a succession of fouls before Labadie then took the heels of former Telford United midfielder Craig Stanley on 68 minutes.

That was infuriating, particularly as Morecambe had themselves been reduced to 10 men moments earlier.

That decision was equally as straight-forward as Labadie’s, Danny Adams always looking destined for an early bath from the moment he bundled Jake Robinson to the floor as the last Morecambe defender.

Labadie’s dismissal moments later nullified Town’s numerical advantage, but it was still the visitors who had the best chance to snatch all three points, the on-song Dave Hibbert snatching at a golden chance from eight yards which went over the bar.

As Simpson commented afterwards, he simply can’t score them all.

And truth be told, a point was just about a fair outcome on an afternoon when conditions affected the encounter as a spectacle.

Shrewsbury’s start couldn’t have been better as they consolidated their early domination with that stunning seventh minute strike from Labadie after Hibbert had been fouled.

Their tally could have been added to with Hibbert firing fractionally wide with a 20-yard thunderbolt, Robinson spurning a decent edge of the box opportunity and Jake Simpson firing into the side netting.

But after a sluggish start, Morecambe – who are becoming as renowned for draws as Manchester United are for late goals – forced their way into the encounter.

No surprise then that the hosts was back on level terms on 23 minutes.

And no surprise that former Shrewsbury captain Stewart Drummond was the man to inflict the pain on his old club, breaking free with a run which wasn’t tracked by his Shrewsbury counterparts before applying a cool finish to a neat move involving Stanley and Phil Jevons.

If only Emmanuel Adebayor had taken note of the respectfully under-stated celebration for a goal against a former club.

The leveller briefly rocked Shrewsbury who found themselves on the back foot for the remainder of the opening period, Paul Mulling heading over from eight yards.

Both sides had chances to win it after the break – Ian Craney forcing a smart save from Steve Phillips and Hibbert twice going close.

But the game petered out after the red card drama as the unbeaten runs of both teams remained firmly intact.

By James Garrison