‘Grumpy old man’ Michael Appleton keeps Shrewsbury Town grounded amid upturn in form

Shrewsbury secured back-to-back victories for the first time this season - and their third consecutive clean sheet - with a 1-0 win over fellow League Two strugglers Crawley Town last Saturday.

However, boss Appleton revealed he had been deliberately hard on his players in the build-up to the game, hoping to bring the best out of them once again.

Asked if he had the same feeling of confidence before kick-off as he did a week earlier, Appleton replied: “I think I did, because we trained well and the vibe at the training ground has been very good.

“I was a little bit of a grumpy old man to be fair last Friday. I was. I don't know why, but maybe because I didn't want the players to get too carried away, or to think that what we have done is okay. 

“I did get after them on Friday, and they were probably thinking, what the heck, but I was just trying to keep them on their toes and make sure we stayed sharp.”

The triumph marked the first time since February that Shrewsbury have recorded back-to-back wins, and you have to go back to March 2022 to find the last time Salop kept three successive clean sheets.

They left it late, but Shrewsbury eventually made their numerical advantage count after Harry McKirdy was sent off, with captain Will Boyle powering home a header from a Sam Clucas corner to spark scenes of jubilation.

“I am not sure if the sending off helped us because they went a little bit more direct and threw more bodies forward, taking more risks in the game,” Appleton added. 

“In the second half, we managed the game quite well. It's always difficult when the opposition go down to 10 men. 

“We scored a fantastic goal with the ball in and it was a fantastic header from Will.

“We defended when we had to defend, we put bodies on the line and that's three clean sheets now, and that's something to be proud of and someone to work on going forward.”

The win lifted Shrewsbury three points clear of the relegation zone, as they sit 21st in League Two with 12 points.

Despite the victory and growing momentum, Appleton insisted his focus had already turned to the next challenge - a trip to Oldham Athletic.

He said: “I am one of the worst for it, in terms of switching straight onto the next game and not enjoying the moment as much as I probably should.

“But I've just been in the game that long, football's got a great way of slapping you in the face when you think you’ve cracked it. 

“We are delighted, we will enjoy it over the weekend, but we will be in on Monday morning to focus on Oldham.”