Jon Taylor of Shrewsbury Town loses out to Mark Crossley of Chesterfield

How quickly the footballing landscape can be transformed.

Exactly seven days on from being booed from their own backyard following a laboured draw with Macclesfield, all is suddenly rosy in the Shrewsbury Town garden.

A brace of away wins in the space of five days have left Town fourth in League Two.

A pre-Christmas slump which had the potential to descend into a full-blown crisis has been quickly forgotten as, in the shadows of Chesterfield’s famous crooked spire, Paul Simpson’s side continued to straighten out their league form.

And not even the daunting prospect of seeing out the final 30 minutes with 10 men at the Saltergate fortress – Chesterfield had won nine of their 11 home league matches prior to Saturday – could deny a Shrewsbury side who appeared galvanised by a new inner steel.

Fresh determination

There is no doubt Town enter 2010 with a fresh determination to prove the critics wrong following the Boxing Day boos which greeted the Macclesfield blues.

And aided by Dave Hibbert’s third goal in as many games and a stoic defensive display both prior to and following the red card for Dean Holden, Shrewsbury chalked up a second impressive success.

“It was a fantastic result and a real gritty, determined performance from the players,” said manager Paul Simpson.

“I’m delighted for them. They worked hard on Saturday and last Monday at Bradford.

“Considering we got booed off at home last week, we have not done bad with seven points out of three games.”

Hibbert’s return to his early season goal-scoring form has certainly been perfectly timed, and it was a classy 38th minute finish which sealed the points in the opening game of 2010.

His 12th goal of the season came with the deftest of touches to turn an excellent cross from Shane Cansdell-Sherriff away from veteran goalkeeper Mark Crossley and into the bottom corner.

It was no more than Shrewsbury deserved because, while Chesterfield winger Ian Morris forced David Button into two fine saves in the opening 15 minutes, the clearer opportunities came the way of the visitors.

The move of the match saw Craig Disley and Lewis Neal exchange passes in a perfectly-timed one-two, only for the former to poke a golden opportunity just past the post.

And the deadlock should have been broken moments before Hibbert’s match-winner when Steve Leslie fired a volley over from a dangerous centre from Neal.

Leslie will have been disappointed not to have hit the target, but he can take real heart from a second successive eye-catching display as he searches for the consistency in performance which has so far eluded him on the first-team stage so far this season.

Hibbert’s strike came at the ideal time for Shrewsbury who were to also hit the target with long range efforts from Holden and Kevin McIntyre at the start of the second period.

And while Button was called into action to deny Mark Little from close in, Shrewsbury appeared comfortable as the near faultless pair of Kelvin Langmead and Graham Coughlan repelled everything a Chesterfield attack shorn of injured top scorer Jack Lester had to throw at them.

However, Shrewsbury were withdrawn from their comfort zone on the hour as a scuffed kick from Button – his only error of an otherwise impeccable afternoon’s work – played the visitors into trouble.

The ball fell to the feet of Kieran Djilali and there was an air of inevitability about the red card which followed when a desperate lunge from Holden brought the Chesterfield midfielder down as he closed in on goal.

But the fear that Button would be called upon constantly during the game’s final third as Shrewsbury battled one man light didn’t materialise.

Yes, Chesterfield monopolised possession in the closing stages.

But a revamped 4-4-1 formation – with Disley slotting in at right back and Leslie in front of him – restricted the hosts to a handful of long range efforts, Langmead and Coughlan maintaining their excellence to the full-time whistle.

It all ensured a vital victory for Shrewsbury who now have fresh hope to cling to.

Simpson is long enough in the footballing tooth to know that testing times will return before the season is out.

And Town can be certain they will slip from their lofty placing in the table when their promotion rivals play catch-up in terms of games following a spate of Christmas postponements.

But the last week has ensured belief has returned and there is a real sense that, after a major wobble, Shrewsbury’s season is getting back on track.

By James Garrison