Shrewsbury Town: Solution needed after ‘random’ 17-minute delay - Michael Appleton

Town’s League Two opener against Bromley on Saturday ended in a 0-0 draw, but the first half was heavily impacted by a 17-minute delay after the assistant referee Scott Chalkley felt unwell. 

Alan Cork, a Shrewsbury fan, had a step in with both sets of players off the field of play - and at one stage it looked like the clash may not continue. 

Appleton says this is going to happen again, and it needs to be looked into. 

"Yes, it was a bit strange,” he commented. “Bit random. I think they obviously have to look into that a little bit because they need a step five referee, they said they needed someone who has officiated at that level.

"What if there was no one in the building? If there was no one in the stadium, what then? What happens? Does the game get called off? It's like, I don't know.

"So that's something that they have to be aware of because surely that's going to happen again at some point in the season, where someone feels unwell. If they've got an injury, fair enough, I know they can just stand there and officiate on the side as a fourth, but maybe something they have to look into."

Meanwhile, the Town boss was pleased with the contribution of Anthony Scully at the weekend after the forward made his debut. 

"He had some real nice moments at times,” Appleton continued. “He'll get better. He's one of the ones who's had limited minutes pre-season, so he's not had as much as some of the other players. 

"So he'll get fitter, stronger, sharper. He's a real threat. He's got bags of quality, and he'll be good for us."