Shrewsbury Town analysis: Improving Salop’s season has finally got going

Michael Appleton has said that he felt that it had been coming, and that's probably a fair assessment.

There have been games so far this campaign where Town have been well below par, but in the last couple of weeks their performances have lifted. It was just the results that needed to fall into place.

For 70 minutes against Walsall in the EFL Trophy in midweek, they were excellent. Yet despite dominating the game for the most part, they still found a way to lose.

So everyone breathed an almighty sigh of relief when they finally got the unwanted stat of not winning a league game off their back.

They were good value for it as well in north London, as they beat Barnet 3-1. They had trailed early in the game, but they went on to score three goals in the first half, and it was actually the first time they have led in a league fixture so far this season.

Bradley Ihionvien made a brilliant start to his Shrewsbury career against Walsall, scoring on debut, and he put in another impressive 65-minute display.

He offers Appleton something very different. He is big, strong and powerful. He has the ability to hold off defenders, and when Town go forward they can play off him.

Before his arrival they didn't have a centre forward with those kinds of characteristics.

Shrewsbury exploited Barnet’s rather bizarre high line over the course of the 90 minutes. It should have been so much more than three. It is not an exaggeration to say they should have scored five or even six.

They created more chances in the opening 45 minutes at The Hive than in their previous six games combined. They just lacked the composure in the final third to finish them off.

The head coach believes that when the team is feeling more confident, having had a better set of results and being in better nick, those opportunities will go in and a side will be punished.

Ismeal Kabia, who has arrived on loan from Arsenal, has also offered a new dimension to the team. He offers a real pace and threat in behind.

It's been the tale of the loanees in the past week. Ihionvien having an impact from Peterborough, Kabia having an impact from Arsenal, and Tommy McDermott being simply sensational on his return from suspension.

He could have scored a hat-trick himself in midweek against Walsall and again, he was everywhere against Barnet.

He is another player who is going to make a huge difference to the team over the course of the year. What Town need now is to get him settled and to get him playing regularly after that three-match suspension.

He was in the action early as he should have given Town the lead in the fourth minute.

One-touch football meant Salop got away down the left, and the Burnley loanee had too much time. Instead of slotting it past Cieran Slicker, he hit the side netting.

They were punished for that miss when Mark Shelton fired the ball into the back of the net after Barnet had made it into Town’s box.

That lead did not last a minute as Town equalised in slightly fortuitous circumstances. A simple ball over the top, the Barnet defenders got in each other's way, and somehow it went into the net.

Ihionvien, making his league debut, was heavily involved but he could not claim the goal.

He did score one soon after as Tom Sang put the ball into the box. Slicker could not hold onto it, pushing it out into a dangerous area, and Ihionvien side-footed it into the net.

He should have had another just before the half-hour mark. Another one-on-one. Slicker came to Barnet’s rescue this time.

Sam Clucas was playing at left wing-back and he scored his first goal in Salop colours when his cross-come-shot flew into the top corner.

And to round off an exhilarating first half. Town should have scored another when Marquis raced through on goal. His touch was too heavy, and the goalkeeper could make the block.

With Salop still hunting their first win of the season, they will have wanted to manage the second period.

There was very little action to report. Marquis and McDermott had shots, but they were half-chances.

McDermott looked as if he was tripped in the box with eight minutes left on the clock. It looked like a stonewall penalty, but Kirsty Dowle waved play on.

It did not matter as Salop held on for a convincing and well-deserved victory.

What they're also finding is that some of the senior players they recruited over the course of the summer are starting to settle into life at their new club.

They recruited senior experienced players but there is no doubt the start to the season had been difficult for them as well.

But those players seem to be settling. Somebody like Will Boyle effectively went a whole season without kicking a ball last year, it was always going to take a bit of time to get into the swing of things.