Walsall 2 Shrewsbury 1 - Report and pictures
Shrewsbury Town's survival party will have to wait until at least Saturday after they fell to a derby defeat at Walsall.
Kieron Morris (11) and Rico Henry (44) punished a lacklustre first half from Micky Mellon's side.
But, fortified by the arrival of Shaun Whalley and Larnell Cole seven minutes after the break, were much improved in the second half and Mat Sadler pulled a goal back.
They couldn't force an equaliser, though, and will target their final home game of the season on Saturday against Peterborough for the three points to guarantee their place in League One next season.
Town line-up was unchanged from Saturday's 3-2 win at Gillingham, as boss Micky Mellon kept faith with the same side despite it being their fourth game in 11 days.
Midfielder Ian Black was fit after claiming he could have broken his neck at the weekend when falling awkwardly, but was on the bench – although not for long.
The only change to the bench was Richie Wellens for Jordan Clark, who dropped out of the squad. Town attacked from the off and could have taken the lead within eight seconds.
With hailstones still glistening on the pitch, Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Andy Mangan exchanged passes but the French forward could only direct a tame angled shot at goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Walsall almost made them pay for that miss in the fourth minute.
Walsall (4-1-4-1): Etheridge; Demetriou, O'Connor, Downing, Henry; Forde, Chambers, Sawyers, Morris (Hiwula 88), Lalkovic (Mantom 75); Bradshaw (Cook 79).
Subs not used: Taylor, Preston, Kinsella, MacGillivray (gk).
Shrewsbury Town (3-4-1-2, 4-3-1-2): Leutwiler 7; Hendry 5 (Black 16), Whitbread 5, Knight-Percival 7; GRIMMER 8, Ogogo 7, Wesolowski 6 (Cole 52 6), Sadler 7; Kaikai 5; Akpa Akpro 6 (Whalley 52, 6), Mangan 6.
Subs not used: Vassell, Wellens, Smith, Halstead (gk).
Referee: David Coote (Notts).
Tom Bradshaw, recalled at the expense of Jordy Hiwula, got ahead of Zak Whitbread to volley inches wide, with goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler at full stretch from Milan Lalkovic's cross.
More Walsall pressure served notice of what was to follow as Morris burst forward and his 25-yard drive bounced dangerously off Leutwiler, before Town cleared their lines.
But Morris wasn't about to let Salop off a second time, as slow closing down allowed the midfielder to pick his spot with his third shot of the game by burying a low drive into the bottom corner.
With Town struggling to contain Walsall in midfield, Mellon made a substitution after just 16 minutes when Jack Hendry made way for Black.
The visitors switched from 3-4-1-2 to 4-3-1-2 with Black, James Wesolowski and Abu Ogogo in front of a back four and Kaikai behind Akpa Akpro and Mangan.
But it seemed to change little as Walsall remained in control. Wesolowski was the first player to be booked, after bringing down Morris just inside the Walsall half as he broke forward on 27.
Town weren't helping their own cause and the uncomfortable Whitbread put them in trouble, with a suicidal back pass that left Leutwiler in huge trouble.
Bradshaw closed down the goalkeeper and manage to block the clearance, but Whitbread eventually hacked the ball away.
Town were showing very little going forward and it was no surprise when Walsall made it 2-0 a minute before the break.
Henry drove inside from the left, skipped inside a challenge and saw his shot blocked before a deflection off former Walsall left-back Sadler saw the ball bounce past the helpless Leutwiler.
Town improved after the break as they finally started to show urgency and energy.
Ogogo summed it up when he charged down a back pass to Etheridge, blocking his clearance, before Henry was dispossessed by Jack Grimmer and Akpa Akpro's cross floated over.
That was pretty much the last we saw of the Frenchman as he was replaced by Whalley in a final throw of the dice by Mellon, with Cole on for Wesolowski.
The double switch paid quick dividends, as Sadler rose unmarked at the far post to crash home a textbook downward header from Mangan's cross on 59 minutes.
Town were suddenly in the ascendancy as Kaikai's shot was blocked, then Mangan's first-time effort from the rebound was smothered by Etheridge.
But the game was opening up and Salop backed off Lalkovic, whose low shot was palmed away. Walsall broke through Anthony Forde, who cut inside to unleash a left foot shot that bounced wide.
But back came Salop and Black's drive deflected off Morris' toe and bounced off the top of the bar.
The pace of the game dropped off in the latter stages as both sides struggled to break each other down. Town perhaps only had themselves to blame for a lacklustre first-half.
