Michael Appleton: Shrewsbury Town heading in the right direction

Salop and Stanley played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at the Croud Meadow in the pouring rain.

Town had a host of clear-cut opportunities to get the victory, but they were wasteful in front of goal.

The Shropshire side are still waiting for their first win of the season, and the draw on Saturday was the first point they have collected since the opening day of the campaign.

“When you have had 18 shots at goal and the amount of good opportunities that we have had in the game, there is a hint of disappointment that you have not won it,” the boss reflected.  

“At the same time, there is a little bit of positivity that you have created so many chances in the game and never really looked like losing it.

“Obviously, Accrington cleared the ball off the line two or three times, and the keeper had to make a couple of saves.

“There have been occasions where not just half a chance but really good chances that we missed the target, which is the disappointing thing.

“As a unit, we need to be miles better in front of goal.

“We still haven’t ticked that box yet of scoring the first goal at home, which is something we will be looking to do going forward, obviously."

Shrewsbury have improved in their last three outings. They performed well at Swindon more than a week ago despite losing 2-1 to a late sucker punch.

They then went on to beat Chelsea under-21s in the EFL Trophy and produced a much-improved performance.

And they backed that up again on Saturday with another reasonable display, and Appleton says eventually some luck will go his side’s way.

He continued: “In terms of where we were at. From half-time last week, we have come a long, long way as a group.

“I thought we played ever so great in that second half last week, got hit with a sucker punch, probably because of the circumstances where we are in.

“We had a really good meeting on Monday morning, took that into the game on Tuesday with a good performance, and we've backed it up again today with a clean sheet and a good performance.

“So, we just need to keep trending in the right direction. Hopefully, I don't know if it's lady luck or whatever luck it is, but eventually, the harder we keep working, the luckier we will become.”

Next weekend is the first international break, and Town keeper Elyh Harrison has been called up to the England under-20s squad.

Yet Appleton revealed that does not mean he will not play next week when they head to Barnet.

“Not necessarily,” he responded to whether he would miss the Barnet game. “I mean, there's a chance that could happen.

“We'll weigh up the situation as it develops. Obviously, we will stay in contact with the people at England and we know them anyway and we're aware of the situation.”

Appleton also confirmed George Lloyd might be a doubt for their EFL Trophy game against Walsall with the hamstring injury he is currently struggling with - but there is a chance he could return next weekend.