Shrewsbury 0-0 Bromley analysis: Salop get their first point on the board in cagey opener

It should not surprise anyone that Salop were involved in a low-scoring affair in their EFL curtain raiser. 

You would have to go back to the game against Millwall in August 2015 to find the last match Town played in at the beginning of a league season that had more than one goal in it. 

The weekend's game against Bromley always had the potential to be a low-scoring encounter. 

It was one of few opportunities with neither side doing enough to take all three points away from Shropshire to kickstart their fourth-tier campaign ahead of the gruelling 46-game season.

For Shrews, who are off the back of relegation from League One and a disappointing season last year, there were some positive signs around the solidity of their side as they kept a clean sheet.

As Town fans will testify, that was not an area of strength for them last time out, they kept four throughout the entirety of the campaign. So for them to achieve that on the opening day of their season bodes well for their defensive record going forward.

Disappointingly, they could not quite manage to put it together in the final third. There were some moments of promise where they got into great positions and played some nice one-touch football. But it just broke down around the edge of the penalty area.

With five new players in the Shrewsbury starting XI and another making his debut late on in the game, it's no surprise the team did not hit the ground running from an offensive perspective.

That will, one would expect, get better as time wears on. 

Town were the better football side on the day and looked more athletic than their opponents. Bromley were keen to get the ball forward early and to play off second balls.

Sam Clucas was one of the debutants.  He played at the base of midfield, and you can see what impact he will have over the course of the season. 

With close to 500 career appearances, he is gifted, and it is quite evident that he has plied his trade at a much higher level.  

One of the talking points before kick-off was whether Elyh Harrison would make his Shrewsbury debut or whether he'd be ruled out through injury.

It turned out the foot problem he picked up against Burnley in the final pre-season game was severe enough that he could not play a part in what would have been his football league and Salop debut. Toby Savin, who had a mixed season last time out, deputised. 

Anthony Scully got the nod from head coach Michael Appleton. He was bright and he looked creative in forward areas. 

The Croud Meadow was bathed in sunshine for the opening day of the League Two season. 

It was the first time Town had played in the fourth tier of English football for more than 10 years, and Michael Appleton and his team were looking to get off to a positive start. 

It was a very energetic start to the match. Kyle Cameron went close for the visitors from distance, and Scully’s shot was saved by Grant Smith. 

Bromley had plenty of efforts on goal, but the best chance of the opening half hour fell to Corey Whitely. Savin and Sam Stubbs had made a mess of clearing a near-post cross, and his strike went narrowly over the bar. In quite bizarre circumstances, the game was paused for 17 minutes after an injury to the linesman. The stadium announcer requested a referee to come forward from the crowd, and eventually, after both sets of players had left the field, the game resumed. 

Marcus Dinanga headed just wide for Bromley as the game went into a crazy amount of injury time at the end of the first half. 

Town had a bright spell in added time, but they would have been slightly disappointed with how little they managed to work Bromley's keeper in a disjointed first period. 

The opening 22 minutes of the second period saw Appleton’s side continue to try to play some football. But despite some bright moments and getting in some excellent positions, they were unable to force an opening. 

Taylor Perry was the Town boss's first change of the afternoon, he came on for Alex Gilliead with just over 20 minutes remaining, and George Lloyd came into the action not long after. 

It was cagey, and it felt like a match which was likely to just have one goal in it, and both sides searched for something late on which would most likely be a winner. 

Deji Elerewe headed over in stoppage time at the end of the game, but it ended all square in Shropshire. 

In summary, it wasn't the worst afternoon at all for Shrewsbury. But one thing that is for sure, they will want to get that first win under their belt sooner rather than later. With a few scars knocking around from last year and fans potentially still being slightly on edge after what has been a difficult couple of years, Town could do with a really positive start to the fourth-tier campaign.

They visit Tranmere Rovers next Saturday lunchtime with a chance to get a victory on the road.