Swindon v Shrewsbury preview: Salop must go back to basics

Salop are in a rut - there’s no getting away from that. After spending most of last season in League One’s bottom four, they now find themselves in the bottom two of League Two just four games into the new campaign.

After keeping a clean sheet on the opening day, they have since conceded 10 goals in their next three league fixtures - along with three more in the Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby.

The solution has to be a reset. Forget styles, pretty football, and playing out from the back.

Can they build a solid foundation where games are decided by a single goal? Can they stay in matches long enough to give themselves a chance deep into stoppage time?

At the moment, when Shrewsbury’s games reach the closing stages, the result has already been decided -it’s just about playing out the final minutes.

Town spent the summer bringing in defensive reinforcements, and now they need to find a way to get the best out of them.

Sam Stubbs, Tom Anderson, and Will Boyle have all performed well at this level before. The task now is to keep things simple and get the best from them.

Head coach Michael Appleton says he is already looking forward to Saturday’s clash with Swindon, viewing it as a chance to put the disappointing night at Meadow Lane behind them.

“Well, I do,” he said, looking ahead to the game. “Certainly, all the players do.

“I can’t wait for Saturday now. It’s moments like this, when you’re under the pump a little bit and being asked questions, when people are coming for you.

“That’s when you find out who’s with you and who’s not, who’s capable of getting points in games, getting goals in games, and keeping clean sheets.

“These are the moments when you find out what you’ve actually got in your dressing room.”

Town have only played four games, and there is still a huge proportion of the season remaining.

Appleton insists he would rather his team endure difficulties now - while there is time to put things right - than at the business end of the season.

“If it’s going to come, I’d rather it come now than at crucial parts of the season,” he continued. “Obviously, there are 42 games to go. I’m finding out about the players pretty early doors, which is a good thing. I don’t feel it now, but it is a good thing going forward.

“I’ve just got to make sure I address that in the right way.”

Swindon, meanwhile, have had a mixed start to the season. They sit mid-table with two wins and two defeats from their opening four games.