Micky Mellon gutted by Town's drubbing
Disappointed Shrewsbury Town boss Micky Mellon admitted he was "shocked, stunned and angry" after his side crashed to a 7-1 defeat at Chesterfield today.
Town suffered their biggest defeat for many years and to one of their relegation rivals who had suffered seven defeats in their last eight league games.
Jay O'Shea grabbed the first two goals - on 28 and a 40th-minute penalty - and Lee Novak scored a hat-trick,
His goals came on the stroke of half-time, then an 81st-minute penalty and a minute from time, sandwiching a brace from substitute Rai Simons (73 and 87) and Zak Whitbread's consolation (66).
Town also had Junior Brown sent off for two bookable offences - both for fouls on Gboly Ariyibi, the second for Novak's penalty.
They also lost Anthony Gerrard and Abu Ogogo to hamstring injuries immediately after Chesterfield's first goal.
Mellon was baffled at the capitulation. Asked if it was his lowest moment in management, he said: "No, there has been lower than this - it's a game of football.
"But we're all stunned and we're all very angry and so we should be, because if you care about the football club and your own professional pride, you should be.
"It's a pride batterer, it should hurt and it does and it should be difficult to get over - as it will be.
"It was a shock to us as it was to everyone else, but there's not an awful lot we can do about it now.
"The last thing we want to be doing is obliterating dressing rooms and starting flinging things around because it's too late for that.
"Where we needed to defend at this level, we fell short.
"I don't think anyone saw that coming - everything that went against us, went against us - we gave two penalties away, we had a man sent off and lost two players to injury.
"We lost two players to injury early and I don't believe we did anything that led us to any of our success and right from the outset we looked too wide open.
"There was too much distance between the back four and the midfield two as units - just all over the pitch, it didn't look like what we've built on over the last 10 or 11 games."
Of the two penalties, Mellon said: "Were they penalties? I'd maybe question the second one, but people don't want me speaking about individual moments.
"We were beaten very heavily and it's disappointing for a lot of people."
Mellon believes the loss of Gerrard and Ogogo were factors in the manner of the defeat, adding: "We'll never know, but we all know how important they are to us.
"Does that highlight that we haven't got cover for them? We'll never know, but we don't have that strength in depth.
"They've got hamstring injuries and we'll determine how they are over the next 24-48 hours."
Mellon denied any interest in Hull City left-back Conor Townsend, who recently played against them on loan for Grimsby, after he was linked with Town by Tigers boss Steve Bruce.
Liam McAlinden missed the game with flu and hasn't trained for three days. His loan is now due up.
