The winning run is over - but the bubble has not burst for Shrewsbury Town and Gavin Cowan

Gavin Cowan and his staff have delivered a turnaround that no one inside the ground would have predicted a few weeks ago.

Five consecutive wins have pulled Salop to the cusp of surviving in League Two - if they get dragged back into it now it will be a catastrophe. 

What underlines the turnaround under Cowan is the fact that many fans turned up to their derby clash not expecting Salop to win - but to certainly take something from the game.

They fired out of the blocks against the play-off chasers with all the confidence of a side who has claimed some big scalps in recent weeks.

And the whole ground had a different feel compared to what it was like before Cowan walked through the door.

The fans were expectant, the players were confident - and every time they advanced forward it looked as though they were going to make something happen.

When they went behind, the fans believed they were going to get back into the game - and they did.

That has not been there for large parts of the season - when Salop have conceded, the expectation is that they won’t get back in the game.

Cowan has changed that. Even after Walsall went in front for a second time in the match - it was Salop who were the ones pushing for a late goal.

In the end, Walsall’s clinical edge was probably the difference between the two sides.

But for Salop, despite it bringing an end to their winning run, it far from bursts their bubble.

Cowan has created momentum that is leaving some fans now looking up rather than down.