This Shrewsbury Town fan has 50,000 reasons to hope his team remains unbeaten

Punter Christopher Evans, 39, placed a bet with bookmakers Paddy Power last month and got odds of 5,000/1 that Paul Hurst's side will emulate the 'Invincible' Arsenal team of 2003/2004 and go without defeat for the entire League One season.

The Town fanatic, who grew up in Rowton, Wellington, put £10 on the bet on September 21, by which point his team – who were favourites with the bookies for relegation before a ball was kicked – were three points clear with seven wins from eight.

He would clinch £50,010 if Hurst's side reach May 5 without defeat. Chris also placed £170 on Town to win League One at 15/1, which would bring returns of £4,300.

Since the bet, the London-based fan, who gets to as many southern away fixtures as possible through the London Shrews fan group, has been slowly watching Town results come in though the cracks in his fingers.

He said: "It started out as having banter with some of my friends from home. But we've won every game since and now it is agonising listening to the results come in.

"Every minute is agonising. We went behind against Doncaster but only for a minute!

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"Really it's never going to happen, is it? But it's just a dream season so far. We're in this surreal bubble. We've been struggling for seasons and now we're beating everyone.

"We're like Leicester. It's the League One Leicester."

Chris will be part of a roaring away crowd that will back Town in today's derby clash at rivals Walsall. Shrewsbury hope to have well over 1,000 fans backing their side.

Thousands of Shrewsbury Town fans were today descending on Walsall as they bid to continue their dream start to the season.

Up to 2,000 fans were set to travel to the Banks’s Stadium on the back of an unbeaten start to the campaign.

Boss Paul Hurst was named manager of the month for September ahead of the game, at a ground where Salop have not won since 1993.

Salop were given extra tickets for the game as the demand from fans was so high.

Meanwhile, superfan Chris picked out Jon Nolan as a player to have caught his eye. "We're a juggernaut that keeps going on," he added.

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal carved out a place in history going through the whole league season unbeaten, a feat only previously achieved in England by Preston North End in the 1880s.

Celtic also went undefeated throughout league and cup last year, while Italian clubs Inter Milan and Juventus have managed it in recent decades.

Former Newcastle university student Chris, who has a copy business in north London, also saw Town at Oxford and Gillingham this season.

He was a regular at Gay Meadow as a schoolboy in the 1980s, when Shrewsbury graced the second tier.

Chris also revealed that he misses home so much that a friend painted a Shropshire mural, including the River Severn and Town's former stadium, on a wall in his home.