Star comment: Shropshire's football sides look to the future
If you can meet with triumph and disaster, And treat those two impostors just the same . . .
Triumph for Telford, where AFC Telford United have stepped back up to the top flight of non-league football, and have done it as champions for the first time in many years.
Disaster, at least in footballing terms, for Shrewsbury Town, who have dropped to League Two after defeat at the Greenhous Meadow in a game they had to win to have had any chance of survival.
The writing had been on the wall for Shrewsbury for some time. So while there were one or two boos at the final whistle, the majority of the fans trudging away from the stadium seem to have taken the disappointment philosophically.
So where did it all go wrong? Even before the relegation was confirmed, the club released a forthright statement apologising to the fans and expressing disappointment at the course of events.
Nobody wants to be relegated, but it would be wrong to wallow in despair and negativity when Shrewsbury Town has so much going for it.
Fans have had a rollercoaster ride in modern times. The business of supporting Shrewsbury Town is something to stir the emotions with fantastic highs and some depressing lows, such as when Shrewsbury briefly dropped out of the league entirely.
That legend Graham Turner returned to reinvigorate the club's fortunes, that is something that can never be taken away. When Turner left, Mike Jackson had a tricky hand to play.
There are positives. It is a well-run club with a modern stadium and loyal fans. And there is that lesson from the Town's history. Because Shrewsbury Town always bounce back.
Can Shrewsbury Town bounce back up again next season?
The work to put the "bounce" into the team starts now. After a season of hurt the fans will be looking for performances on the pitch next season which make Shrewsbury the class of the field in the division.
Can Shrewsbury Town bounce back up again next season? Vote in our poll
And so we travel a few miles east to Telford who have done exactly what Shrewsbury will be striving to do. This time last year Telford fans were shaking their heads. Now the champagne corks are popping. Telford did it – they bounced back, and did so in style.
Their challenge is to maintain the momentum and the spirit and confidence which is like a wind in the sails, taking clubs to greater and greater things. An epic 2014-15 season awaits Shropshire's two big clubs.
