Shrewsbury Town make Chelsea sweat for victory

A sea of blue and amber swept through the roads, streets and paths surrounding Shrewsbury's Greenhous Meadow last night as Chelsea came to town in one of the biggest matches in Town's history.

The Capital One Cup fourth round match between Shrewsbury Town FC and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea last night saw Town fans travel from all over the county to see the spectacle.

There were more than 10,000 fans in the ground watching and roaring their team on in the teeming rain, as well as people all across the world watching the televised coverage.

Before the game, fans at the ground were bristling with excitement at the prospect of seeing world class players come to town – such as World Cup winner Andre Schurrle, Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Brazilian star Oscar, to name but a few in a squad with a wealth of talent.

Clad in Shrewsbury Town shirts, scarves and hats and with their faces painted, Town fans were all in jovial spirits despite the torrential rain. The roar of the crown pre-match inside the packed out stadium was deafening.

Before the game Town fan Lloyd Burton, who has been battling cancer, was able get a prized painting of Mourinho signed by the man himself.

Mr Mourinho was happy to pose for a picture with the youngster.

Inside the ground there were chants of "Micky Mellon's barmy army" and "Shrewsbury Town falling in love with you", "Oh when the Shrews go marching in" and "Salop" along with the relentless banging of a drum from the home support who hoped they might see their team, who are currently three leagues below Chelsea, get a shock result.

And Shrewsbury delivered a solid and brave first half performance where they had the better chances to score with Chelsea keeper being the first forced to make a save from a corner.

The crowd were buoyed by this and responded with more roars of encouragement for the Town.

Chelsea had their chances in the first half, but the Shrewsbury goal was not threatened as much as many would have thought before kick off.

But the bubble was soon burst three minutes after the restart, when Drogba was slipped through and put the Blues ahead.

But the fans did not give up hope and continued to chant throughout, with the 1,700 travelling fans also contributing to the occasion.

Then the Meadow exploded when Andy Mangan scored for the Shrews from a corner, giving them hope of recording a cup shock.

But Chelsea again dashed those dreams after scoring a second in the last 10 minutes of the game, courtesy of an own goal.

At the weekend Chelsea played in the world famous Theatre of Dreams at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, but they would not have been expecting such a reception from the home support at the Greenhous Meadow.

The Capital One Cup is a competition Mourinho has always taken seriously as it was the first trophy he won in his first season as Chelsea manager.

But Shrewsbury have also been good value in the competition, beating Championship sides Norwich and Blackpool, and Premier League side Leicester City to get to the point they had – much to the delight of the loyal Salop following.

And fans were not going to miss this game for the world.

But it wasn't just the fans who were excited. The players and management at the football club were also buzzing to welcome the current Premier League leaders.

Micky Mellon, Shrewsbury Town manager, said the squad were ecstatic when the trophy arrived in town in Monday.

He said: "We had the trophy at training and there were loads of kids there.

"As soon as that trophy came out they all came sprinting over wanting to touch it and wanting to kiss it.

"That is the magic of football. That is what we all have to remember."

Additional seating for the sell-out game meant that there were 10,361 bums on seats to see the Town take on the Stamford Bridge stars – a game which also attracted millions of viewers on Sky.

It was the largest attendance for a home game for the Town since the FA Cup clash with Arsenal at the Gay Meadow on February 27, 1991, when 12,356 watched the game.

The highest attendance before last nights match was 9,510 when Wolves visited in League One last season.

The game has been causing excitement among Shrewsbury fans for weeks now with fans queuing outside the ground to get tickets and even a special limited edition ale from Woods Brewery called "Micky Mellon's Barmy Army: The Special Mon" being created specially for the occasion.

Before the match Mourinho knew he had a challenge on his hands facing Town – which he did.

He had said: "They are doing very well in their league and very well against superior teams in the Capital One Cup."

He said this game was not going to be treated as a friendly, and the atmosphere was certainly not that of a friendly and Town fans were rightly proud of their team despite losing.

Generations of Town fans 'up for the cup'

Despite the rain teeming down at the there was a carnival atmosphere at the Greenhous Meadow, as Shrewsbury fans prepared to welcome the might of Premier League giants Chelsea.

There was a air of excitement and optimism as the team buses for both Chelsea and Shrewsbury arrived for the record-breaking Capital One Cup match.

Mick Lee, 65, from Cross Houses, was with three generations of Shrewsbury Town fans.

He said: "We are really excited for the match, it is going to be brilliant.

"I have been a fan for over 50 years and I think this occasion is going to be right up there with some of my great memories of the Town.

"It's brilliant to have players of this calibre coming to town, and now we have a great ground which is suited for such occasions."

Pauline Jones, 54, from Shrewsbury, has been a lifelong fan.

She said: "We have been excited and looking forward to this game for ages.

"It will be a great night, and I hope we get the right score line.

"We have been to some of the great occasions over the years at Wembley, but this should be right up there. This will be one for the fans to remember."

Pete Williams, 61, from Prees, was optimistic about the Town's chances.

"I have predicted a 2-1 win for us. I think we will go 2-0 up, then Chelsea will get one back but we will win," he said.

"I have been a fan for over 40 years and I think it's great to see these world class players coming here to Shrewsbury."

Paul Wootten, 52, a Town fan who travelled from Stourbridge, said: "Tonight will be great.

"This will be right up there with the memorable nights.

"Chelsea have very good players, but they are all beatable.

"Regardless of results this will be one they will talk about."

Ged Scott was Shrewsbury Town reporter for the Shropshire Star in the 90s.

He said: "I am Shropshire born and bred and when you cover the Town it never leaves you.

"This absolutely has the potential to be a great evening and I hope it is."

Jim Kelly, 34, from Market Drayton, said: "The atmosphere here at the ground has been amazing.

"I can't believe we are seeing these players here tonight. It's great."