Town 3 Peterborough 4 - Report and pictures

Doncaster's 3-1 defeat at Crewe and Blackpool's 4-0 thumping at home to champions Wigan means neither can catch Micky Mellon's side with a game left.

But there was an underwhelming feeling as they had to do it with help from their rivals, after suffering a club record 13th home league defeat of the season.

Town seemed dead and buried after goals from Jack Baldwin (42) and Lee Angol (46 and 69) left them trailing 3-0.

But substitute Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro inspired a comeback by scoring on 74 then setting up headers for Andy Mangan (85) and Jack Grimmer (90).

But former Town winger Jon Taylor came off the bench to grab a dramatic winner in the third minute of time added on.

Midfielder Ian Black was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Shrewsbury only had themselves to blame after starting brightly and forcing numerous corners when they were the better side for the first 35 minutes.

But they wasted several chances before trailing, while goalkeeper Mark Tyler denied Sullay Kaikai. Town made four changes from the side beaten 2-1 at Walsall on Tuesday night.

Ian Black, Larnell Cole and Shaun Whalley replaced Jack Hendry, former Posh midfielder James Wesolowski and Akpa Akpro, who all dropped to the bench.

Shrewsbury Town (4-2-3-1): Halstead; Grimmer, Whitbread, Knight-Percival, Sadler; Black, Ogogo (Wallace 56); Whalley, Cole (Akpa Akpro 56), Kaikai; Mangan.

Subs not used: Wellens, Wesolowski, Hendry, D Smith, Wallace.

Peterborough United (4-4-2 diamond): Tyler; M Smith, Baldwin, Zakuani, Toffolo; Forrester (Chettle 80), Da Silva Lopes, Nabi, Maddison; Angol, Coulthirst (Williams 88).

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Herts)

There was a surprise recall in goal for Mark Halstead for Jayson Leutwiler, who was named on the team-sheet but failed to appear on the pitch.

Nathaniel Knight-Percival captained Town against his old club, while former Town winger Jon Taylor was on the bench for Posh.

Town started brightly and created plenty of chances in the first-half, winning numerous corners but failed to take advantage of them.

That was in evidence as early as the sixth minute when Whalley's corner reached Zak Whitbread but his header flies high and wide from some 15 yards out.

After a quarter of an hour, Black was allowed to run and run unchallenged at the Posh defence and elected to shoot only for his rising effort to hit Jack Baldwin.

Four minutes later, Black was brought down by Baldwin - who got booked - on the edge of the box and Sullay Kaikai's curling free kick from 20 yards was tipped over by Tyler for another corner.

Cole was looking really lively in the hole and taking up some excellent positions and after another corner, this time worked short by Black and Whalley, he curled a rising effort over from 20 yards.

There was a chance for Town on 28 minutes as Kaikai bent one just wide, after Black won it off dispossessed Marcus Maddison.

Two minutes later, some lovely play from Town ended with Kaikai's left-foot shot diverted behind off Gabriel Zakuani for yet another corner.

Play was stopped in the 35th minute and for the second home game in a row, the linesman on the far side went off injured.

Seconds after the restart, Whalley was booked for tripping Harry Toffolo 30 yards out, Maddison drilling the resulting free kick straight at Halstead.

Halstead was in action again on 39, beating away Angol's fierce drive after Maddison weaved dangerously into the box.

Posh had come into the game and they showed Town how it should be done from set-pieces, by taking the lead three minutes before the break.

Baldwin rose highest at the far post to plant a header into the opposite corner of the net from Adil Nabi's corner.

Posh attacked again and Maddison was allowed to flick the ball up and volley it goalwards and Halstead was at full stretch, as it drifted wide.

Just before half-time, Mangan got in front of his man to reach Whalley's whipped-in cross but mis-hit his shot.

Then in the second minute of time added on, Cole took on Zakuani in the box and cut it back to Mangan, whose first-time effort was beaten away by Tyler.

A minute later, Kaikai's chip from the right found Mat Sadler unmarked in the box, but his right-footed hooked effort flew a good foot over.

Town were made to pay for their misses when they trailed to a second Posh goal just 21 seconds after the restart for the second-half.

Angol side-footed through Halstead's legs after Shaquile Coulthirst drives at the defence in the inside left slot and squares.

Knight-Percival glanced well wide from Whalley's corner as Town tried to hit back.

But sloppy play from Town saw Coulthirst allowed to run at the defence and it took a last-ditch tackle from Sadler to block Angol's shot.

Mellonm decided to change things in the 56th minute with a double substitution, as James Wallace and Akpa Akpro replaced Abu Ogogo and Cole.

Wallace had an immediate impact as his rising shot was deflected over then Zak Whitbread failed to get enough on his header from the corner.

On the hour, news filtered through that Crewe had equalised against Doncaster and if that stayed the same, Town would be safe.

But Town seemed to gift Posh a third goal as poor defending saw Nabi run unchallenged, wrongfooting Whitbread before slipping in the unmarked Angol for a neat finish.

There was warm applause for former Shrewsbury winger Taylor who replaced Nabi on 73, but Town were cheering for another reason within a minute as they started their comeback.

Akpa Akpro curled a superb shot right into the top corner of the net, leaving keeper Mark Tyler grasping thin air.

Taylor teed up Coulthirst, who was unmarked but luckily for Town, his drive was straight at Halstead, who smothered.

Town returned to the attack on 82 and Whitbread spread it wide to Whalley and carried on his run into the box, only to flash a header wide from the cross.

Seconds later play switched to the other end and Taylor tried an audacious chip which just bounced wide, with Halstead nowhere near it.

But, with five minutes of normal time left, the comeback was in full flow as Mangan headed home Akpa Akpro's cross to make it 3-2.

A minute later, Maddison got away from Black and Whalley and his curling shot was beaten away acrobatically by Halstead going to his left.

Crewe took the lead against Doncaster to boost Town's hopes of staying up before Coulthirst was eventually replaced by Aaron Williams, the striker booked for time-wasting as he left the field.

Town were level right on 90 minutes as Grimmer headed home another Akpa Akpro cross, his effort just squeezing over the line despite Tyler's efforts to keep it out to spark pandemonium.

But, in the third minute of time added on, Taylor grabbed a dramatic winner, taking on Grimmer and drilling a left-foot drive that Halstead smothered but couldn't keep out.

Then in the fifth minute of seven added on, Black was sent off for a second bookable offence after lunging in on Maddison.