Shrewsbury analysis: The punishment shows no signs of relenting

That applies to Shrewsbury Town in more ways than one after they were beaten - comfortably in the end - 2-0 by Harrogate in North Yorkshire.

The weather was biblical on Saturday. It poured down and football matches across the country were impacted, and one game, Blackburn versus Ipswich was abandoned deep into the second half.

It was a sorrowful scene as Shrewsbury’s dejected players, damp and soaked to the skin, trudged off the pitch, past the unimpressed Salop fans, after their latest defeat. Things just will not go their way.

They cannot grumble too much about the result. It was a fairly even first 60 minutes, where the hosts had more of the ball but Shrews had plenty of chances.

But with two of their experienced defenders going off within the space of 10 minutes, the match turned. With Salop’s spine gone they were exposed and they were picked off all too easily.

Cheltenham, who have had their struggles themselves over the last couple of years, are the only team in the football league that is worse.

After a decade in the third tier where they were playing earlier this year, it is hard to get your head around just how far they have fallen.

At first, many supporters would have hoped this tricky start to the season was just a phase that Shrews would get out of with a couple of wins.

But as the season goes on and on and the defeats keep coming, it is starting to follow an incredibly similar pattern to last year.

Five points from nine games is a desperate start to the season and Salop are in a really challenging position.

It was an awful day in North Yorkshire as Town played at the Exercise Stadium for the first time.

The hosts should have been ahead inside the first few moments when striker Jack Muldoon hit the post.

The ball had come in from the left from Ellis Taylor, and a combination of Will Boyle and Elyh Harrison stopped the first effort before his second hit the post as Salop then smuggled it away from danger.

Shrews wanted a penalty when it looked like there was a raised arm in the box. The players protested, but neither the referee nor the linesman believed a penalty was the right call.

Harrogate had more of the ball than Town in the first half, but Shrews had 10 shots to the home side’s four.

Despite that, Michael Appleton’s side had to wait until stoppage at the end of the first 45 minutes for their first real, clear-cut opportunity.

A corner was whipped in by Tom Sang, and Boyle found himself free in the six-yard box, but his header went over the bar.

Within minutes of the re-start, Stubbs, who had looked like he had been limping during the first half, came off - he was replaced by Toto Nsiala.

Not long later, Anderson picked up a calf injury and was replaced by Luca Hoole.

The second half went from bad to worse for Town as they trailed in the 66th minute. A long hopeful ball forward, and Nsiala lost his man.

Muldoon took the ball down before confidently firing beyond Harrison.

The Town boss made a triple substitution with just over 15 minutes to go. George Lloyd, John Marquis and Chuks Aneke coming on - the latter for his Town debut.

Elyh Harrison made an excellent save to deny Conor McAleny when the Harrogate substitute was played through on goal.

He did get his goal, though, three minutes from time, when his shot from distance found the bottom corner of Harrison’s net.

Where do Town go from here? Well they need to try and get Stubbs and Anderson fit as quickly as possible.

The two defenders have played a lot of football at this level and Town have let in an incredible amount of goals.

They have conceded 18 times so far this campaign and they need to go back to basics and start keeping the ball out of the net.

Appleton mentioned that his side might need to be more pragmatic as they head into the game against MK Dons next weekend - a side who lost to Barnet on Saturday - the only team Shrews have beaten.

Conceding too many and not scoring enough has been a recipe for disaster. It is not even like Shrews have had a major injury crisis at the moment.

Appleton had to leave George Nurse, Mal Benning and Callum Stewart back at the their training ground because he had a full squad to choose from.

It really is desperate times. If you get to the 10 games mark with just five points on the board, then the team morale will be at an all-time low.

Staying in the division is going to be a scrap, Town’s players need to make sure they are up for the fight.