'Credit to the lads for putting in the work' - Shifnal Town's Connor Patterson on fine start
An FA Cup exit and two league defeats to start life in a new division might be enough to daunt any promoted side.
But not Shifnal Town.
Connor Patterson's men have taken to life at step four of the non-league system admirably. After seven games they sit second and have taken 13 points from the last possible 15 ahead of a pause for the FA Trophy.
"We lost in the FA Cup and then in the first two league games - but we were not a million miles away," Patterson told the Shropshire Star. "We were competing and giving a good account of ourselves, we just lacked that cutting edge in front of goal and lacked that bit of quality in the final third.
"The lads bought into what we've been doing and it started to click. In the last five league games we've picked up 13 points - four wins and a draw. It's credit to everyone involved for putting in the work."
Shifnal earned promotion to this level for the first time in their history at the end of April with a 2-0 Midland Premier play-off final success over 1874 Northwich.
Patterson made some changes this summer with additions Louis Bradford, Craig Pritchard, Harry Bower, Archie Elsdon, Shaq Whittingham, Jack Hodnet, Josh Green and Rasaq Alamu in a bid to ready the ambitious club for life as a Northern Premier West club, but the first couple of weeks were tough.
Shifnal bowed out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle at home to lower-ranked Coventry United - a far-cry from their historic run through four rounds last season - before 1-0 league defeats at home to Clitheroe and away at Chasetown, who they welcome to the Acoustafoam Stadium in the Trophy first qualifying round on Saturday.
Town bounced back admirably, though. Patterson's men have recently won impressively at Avro and Wythenshawe Town on their travels.
"This level is tough," added the boss. "We sat down in pre-season and the word was to stay in the league, to compete.
"There was no pressure to push on again. The chairman said it was just about giving a good account of ourselves to stay in the league.
"But I said to the chairman 'I want to have a go - I can assemble a side to have a good go' - and currently we're doing OK."
Patterson added: "We've made a few new additions and I feel they've fitted in great. The lads look like they want to run through brick walls for each other.
"The two recent Saturday away wins have been brilliant for us as a group and our togetherness.
"We've been on a couple of long coach journeys, the players turned up and did everything asked of them to get the three points.
"It's not easy going to places like that, Avro in Oldham, Wythenshawe in the middle of Manchester, horrible places to go but the lads stepped up to the mark."
Patterson is hopeful influential midfielder Kevin Monteiro could return from injury against Chasetown in the Trophy this weekend.
He said: "The FA Trophy can bring revenue to the club, the chairman has spoken about going a few rounds to bring a bit of money in. Days like these bring the group even tighter."
