‘Chalk and cheese’ - Michael Appleton on Shrewsbury’s improving performances

Town’s displays have improved greatly in recent weeks, but they have still struggled to pick up the results they need to get themselves up the table.

The latest loss was a 3-1 defeat at home to fourth-tier rivals Salford on Saturday as Dan Udoh returned to the Croud Meadow to bag a brace.

Salop sit second from bottom in the table with just five points from their opening eight matches.

But Appleton believes the performances in recent weeks show they are going in the right direction and that their luck will turn.

He said: “The reality is that we certainly, from a realistic point of view, weren’t going to be knocking on the door of the top end of the table.

“If you look at the first three, four or five games and now isolate them to where we are now in the last three and the cup games that we had, the first five and second five games of the season have been chalk and cheese.

“In terms of how we have looked, what we have done, what we have created, performances that individuals have had and that the team has had.

“Even though we are frustrated, I do genuinely think that there is a lot to take from Saturday’s game.

“If we are able to be brave, and not take a step back, I believe that in the coming weeks we will get the luck that we deserve.”

For the second week in succession, Town do not have a game, giving Appleton and his assistant Richard O’Donnell time on the training pitch.

“It might be a good thing that there is no game midweek,” the boss continued. “It is an opportunity to dust ourselves down and regroup, look back at the game and a couple of things that we have to be better at, and speak about things that we were good at and make sure that we continue to do that.

“Come Saturday next week, we will be in a position to go and attack the game in the same manner as we did on Saturday.”

Salop head to Harrogate this weekend in a massive League Two match. They are 17th and have lost the last four games on the spin.