Dave Edwards: Positives for Shrewsbury Town despite late frustration

Ultimately, it was the former Town boss who had the last laugh as the visitors came back to draw 3-3 but I still think there are positives for the home side to take.

If you had offered me a point before the match, against a team chasing the play-off positions, I would probably have taken it.

Town have now taken 10 points out of a possible 12 at Croud Meadow and it is that form which has got them out of the relegation zone.

The frustration is had they held out for the win, they would have put a few more teams between themselves and the bottom two. At one point on Saturday afternoon the virtual League Two table was looking a lot healthier.

Town started the game exactly the way you would have wanted and what I enjoyed most was, after going ahead so early on through George Lloyd’s goal, they did not sit back.

In previous matches this season we have seen them sit deep after scoring but instead they kept pushing and got the second goal through Luca Hoole. It was an excellent goal and an excellent finish from a player who has definitely put his name in the hat to continue the right wing-back role.

After the great start, it is just a shame the way Gillingham got back into the game.

I played with Gareth McCleary at Reading and at this level, even at the age he is now, he is still so effective.

It was a brilliant cross but almost inexplicable from Sam Stubbs. Out of nowhere, Gillingham are back into it thanks to a superb header from a Shrewsbury player. Things then got even tougher for Stubbs when he conceded the penalty from which the visitors got their second.

Needless to say, it was not the defender’s best afternoon after what has been his best spell in a Shrewsbury shirt. I am confident he will be able to put it behind him.

As the game went on in the second half, you knew the pressure would come from Gillingham.

Michael Appleton made a change by bringing on both Chuks Aneke and John Marquis and I wonder whether he know looks back and wonders whether that was the right call. Potentially, bringing one of them on might have been better. With both on the pitch, we lost any kind of pace at the top end of the pitch and it meant we struggled to get out.

The equaliser to make it 3-3 came from the quality, again, of McCleary’s cross and I thought Town got a bit unlucky with the ball landing perfectly for Elliott Nevitt in between four defenders.

The table remains tight but Town now get a little break from the pressure of the league with an FA Cup second round tie away at Sutton United on Saturday night, live on television.

It won’t be an easy game and just as in the first round at South Shields, the broadcasters clearly think there is the chance of an upset.

But they came through that test with flying colours and if Town can get through, we can all start dreaming about the big Premier League ties.

There are some tough games to come in the league, at home to Grimsby and then away to Walsall but it will be nice, on Saturday, to focus on the Cup.