Swindon 3 Shrewsbury 0 - Report and pictures

League One top scorer Nicky Ajose took his tally with 25 for the season, with a brace either side of half-time (45 and 48) to effectively send Micky Mellon's side into the summer on a losing note.

And substitute Jordan Young sealed it with his first goal in senior football with four minutes left as Salop wilted in the warm sunshine.

It was a real end-of-season performance from Shrewsbury that by the time they had finished, made them look as if they were ready to hit the beaches after a hard, long season.

It could have been worse too, as Ellis Iandolo and Yaser Kasim hit the post in the second-half and debutant goalkeeper Callum Burton pulled off a fine save to deny Michael Doughty.

With League One safety assured, Town showed six changes to the side beaten 4-3 by Peterborough.

Burton, Dominic Smith, Jack Hendry, Richie Wellens, James Wesolowski and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro replaced Mark Halstead, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Ian Black, Larnell Cole, Shaun Whalley and Sullay Kaikai.

Black was suspended after being sent off last week, Whalley missed training on Friday and Kaikai has rejoined Crystal Palace.

Burton made his senior debut in an unfamiliar Shrewsbury line-up in which Mellon switched from 4-2-3-1 to 3-1-4-2 to start, with Wellens sitting in front of the defence.

When the action got under way, Shrewsbury had the first real chance 17th minute as Akpa Akpro put Andy Mangan through, but his shot hit defender James Sendles-White.

Two minutes later, Swindon broke through Jonathan Obika, whose low drive forced Burton to smother at the second attempt.

Mangan had the chance to give Salop the lead again on the half-hour when he turned onto captain Abu Ogogo's pass and ignored Mat Sadler in acres to shoot.

But his low effort hit Sendles-White and James Wesolowski lashed the rebound high and wide.

Then Ogogo, rising above Whitbread at the far post, could only nod tamely wide from Wellens' floated corner on 32.

Swindon had bossed possession in the brilliant sunshine and on 39 they almost had their reward for their territorial dominance.

Anton Rodgers curled a dangerous free kick inches wide of the near post from 30 yards, but Burton looked to have had it covered.

That reward came in near farcical circumstances seconds before half-time, when Whitbread booted Nathan Thompson up in the air to concede a needless penalty.

Whitbread appeared to be exacting revenge after he had done brilliantly to get to Rodgers' pass ahead of Obika.

He then lunged in to send him sprawling before he went in on Thompson, to give referee Gavin Ward no option but to point to the spot.

Ajose did the rest, smacking an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net for his 24th goal of the season to leave Burton helpless.

But if this was Whitbread's last game for the club, then the clumsy, untidy way he conceded the penalty wasn't the way he would want to be remembered.

Nor was it the sort of challenge that will attract the Championship suitors he craves. Town made an awful start to the second half - and were swiftly punished.

First, Whitbread's clearance in the corner was charged down and Burton was forced to dive at the feet of Michael Doughty.

Then Iandolo's left-foot drive smacked off the post and back into play as the visitors struggled to get the ball out of their own penalty area.

Swindon continued to probe and Thompson found Ajose in just enough space to drill across Burton and into the far corner on the angle from 12 yards.

Mellon tried to change things with a double substitution on 53 with James Wallace and Larnell Cole on for Dom Smith and Wellens, which saw them switch to 4-3-1-2 with Cole in the hole.

Six minutes later, Ethan Jones became the club's second academy graduate debutant of the day with Burton when he replaced Mangan.

Largely through the hard running efforts of Jones, it fired a lively response from the visitors.

First the Dudley-born 17-year-old crossed for Akpa Akpro, who should have done better than barely get grazed headed contact to on the hour.

A minute later, buzzing around the box, he teed up the Frenchman for a tight angled shot across goal that drifts wide of the far post.

Then at what was perhaps the height of Salop's best play, Akpa Akpro turned provider to put Cole clean through, but his shot hit goalkeeper Will Henry's legs on 64.

Action immediately switched to the other end and Burton made a fine, full-length fingertip save to keep out Doughty's curling effort, which was aiming for the bottom corner.

Burton then could only watch as Yaser Kasim rattled his right-hand post with a curling free kick on 73 after Jack Hendry, who had really grown into the game, tripped Brophy 25 yards out.

If it hadn't been game over before, it certainly was when substitute Jordan Young curled home his first goal after a pass from the busy Brophy.

The final whistle couldn't come quickly enough for Shrewsbury. By the time the action starts again in August, they will want to be much better.