How Shrewsbury Town must wish they could pack up the Greenhous Meadow and transport it around the country with them.

While the form of Graham Turner’s side on the road is patchy – albeit in the face of some of the most testing assignments of the campaign – their own backyard is proving a formidable fortress.

A seventh successive home triumph was sealed by a comfortable victory over a limited Accrington side last night, even if the hosts’ failure to add to Tom Bradshaw’s 27th minute strike ensured a slight air of nervousness hung around until the final whistle.

That represents Town’s longest winning sequence on their own patch for 16 years, a record that provides the perfect platform to mount what – at this stage – appears set to be a sustained assault on automatic promotion.

Without this being a memorable Shrewsbury display, they were more than worthy winners in the battle of last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists.

On a night of significant improvement defensively, well protected goalkeeper Chris Neal wasn’t forced into one save of note as a first clean sheet in five games was safely deposited in the bank.

And, at the other end, a solid if unspectacular Town performance was lit up by occasional explosive attacking bursts.

No better was that illustrated than with the 27th minute goal from Bradshaw.

The move itself was one to thrill. Launched in the left back position, a crossfield pass from Joe Jacobson against his former club found the impressive Lionel Ainsworth on the right flank.

He escaped the watchful eye of Kevin McIntyre – who was given a warm ovation on his return – and, one rapid charge down the right flank later, was firing in a centre which was attacked and neatly finished at the near post by Tom Bradshaw from eight yards.

The Welsh under 21 international has been forced to bide his time for a League start this season, but this was a strike which proved why he is arguably the club’s most natural finisher.

Both before and after that deadlock-breaker, Shrewsbury had a cluster of chances to put the game to bed.

They were to be denied by the woodwork once when Lionel Ainsworth’s free-kick struck the outside of the post, some smart goalkeeping – much-maligned ex-Town shot-stopper Ian Dunbavin saving superbly from a Shane Cansdell-Sherriff header before denying Mark Wright and Jermaine Grandison with shots from distance – and poor finishing.

The guilty party in that final category was Marvin Morgan who missed an excellent chance in either half after latching onto Accrington defensive mistakes.

In the opening period, he fired over from the edge of the break when racing clear while, after the break, he got caught in two minds about whether to shoot or square to Bradshaw and ended up doing neither.

So it could and should have been a more comfortable scoreline for Town but the win was rarely in jeopardy as Accrington’s only period of pressure arrived in the opening 10 minutes when Charlie Barnett and Will Hatfield fired just wide.

It all meant seven up for Shrewsbury.

And with AFC Wimbledon arriving for the Greenhous Meadow’s 100th League game on Saturday, it would be foolish to rule the run extending to eight.

By JAMES GARRISON at the Greenhous Meadow