Micky Mellon: It's rich pickings for Shrewsbury

Town were beaten 5-1 by Wigan 10 days ago as they suffered their biggest home defeat in more than 27 years.

Wigan still have Premier League parachute payments and last year lost £3.9million – more than Shrewsbury's entire turnover – while they have bought players such as Will Grigg for £1m.

Mellon's long-term aim is to establish Town as a solid League One club that can push for promotion.

Town have the ninth-biggest budget in the division, but others boast more financial clout.

And Mellon reckons they will have to continue to be cute in the transfer market and loan markets and rely on home-grown talent.

He said@ "When you see a team in the third tier with a Premier League parachute payment and can just pick off the best players in the league, it's a difficult ask for anybody, especially clubs like us.

"Unless there's a massive input of cash, like Wigan, where you can buy players who cost £1m, and get another one for £1m, we have to do it a different way. I don't think that's the way Shrewsbury will ever be.

"We're not able to compete with clubs who can rebuild a team with some million-pound players in the short term. It might have to be a more longer term view, because we can't throw money around like confetti.

"But that doesn't mean we're not looking to close that gap, or we're not competitive and don't want to take these teams on."

Mellon is determined to close the gap by finding another route to compete against the best in the division.

He said: "It's going to get more difficult because, if you've got that kind of money, you can just pick off the best players in the league.

"But you've got to keep that ambition and believe you can find another way.

"I believe if we'd have kept Connor Goldson and Ryan Woods and Sullay Kaikai, we'd compete better but with those as well as Junior Brown, Jayson Leutwiler and all the rest, we've proved the players are out there.

"In the short term you've got to get a team that will get you a foothold in the division. Longer term you must try to find better to have a right good go at these teams with more financial muscle."

#Town are one of 15 League One teams who have never been in the top-flight, while they have spent just two seasons in the last two decades in the third tier.

But Mellon insists it's not a pipe dream to 'do a Bournemouth,' adding: "I'm not going to shut doors on anything like that. We're getting players like Kaikai, Larnell Cole and Jack Grimmer to help us be competitive."

"They're on loan but that's a tool we've got to be very good in to close these gaps."