"It's something we definitely need to address" - Michael Appleton on Shrewsbury Town's away form

While Salop have won their last three matches at the Croud Meadow, they have tasted success away from Shropshire just once in the league so far this season.

And while head coach Michael Appleton knows it is an area that needs addressing, he is not yet ready to press the panic button.

"I'd be a lot more concerned if that was the home form, there's no doubt about that, but it's something that we definitely need to address," he said following Town's 3-1 defeat at Fleetwood on Saturday. "One hundred per cent, we definitely need to be picking more points up on the road - we're putting pressure on ourselves to pick up points and win games at Croud Meadow.

"At some point we need to need to start turning that around and equal it up a little bit.

"But on the flip side of that, if you keep winning games at home and keep getting three points at home, it certainly gives you a greater opportunity to start pulling away from where we don't want to be at the minute."

Appleton also addressed the disagreement he had with his opposite number at Fleetwood, Pete Wild, following the sending off of former Shrewsbury defender James Bolton.

Both sides clashed at the final whistle, with the arguments continuing into the tunnel after Bolton and Chuks Aneke had come together in stoppage time, with Aneke being left on the floor.

Referee Martin Coy booked both players, and with that being Bolton's second yellow, he was subsequently dismissed. Wild was visibly angry and it spilled over into a clash with Appleton.

"I don't know what happened in the tunnel because I was still on the pitch, so I can't shed any light on that, but the reality is obviously the officials have made a decision and obviously they (Fleetwood) haven't taken too kindly of that," said Appleton. "You know, the reality is, whatever has happened, they've certainly started it by causing an issue after the game when obviously they've won the game - they should be happy, get down the tunnel and look forward to the next game.

"But it was a clear sending off. He's put his head in his face. You can't do that."

There were two positive points - Salop's endeavour, which could have threatened an unlikely comeback had Josh Ruffels' strike not flashed by the post in the 88th minute, and Ismeal Kabia's first goal for the club.

"I'm delighted for him," said Appleton of the Arsenal loanee. "Hopefully from a confidence point of view he can use that as a springboard to score goals.

"He's had obviously clearly quite a lot of opportunities over the last sort of half a dozen games, so has been probably beating himself up a little bit that he's not taken them, but today was his day.

"It wasn't a good day for us, but obviously that will certainly help him going forward and hopefully there's more to come."

And on his players fighting until the very end, the boss added: "They've been doing that for a long time now - certainly the last eight or so games.

"And, like I say, we did create one or two decent opportunities and didn't work the goalkeeper probably enough as much as we would have liked - a lot of shots off target - so loads to work on going forward.

"Away from home, it's not been great for us of late, but certainly at home we've been a lot more positive."