Micky Mellon rues Shrewsbury Town's individual errors

Last night's reversal at The Valley was Town's second defeat in three League One games as they succumbed to a crazy first 30 minutes where the Addicks ran riot with three goals.

Pacy winger Ricky Holmes was afforded far too much room to bend in from 25 yards, while skipper Johnnie Jackson profited from a number of miscued clearances for the hosts' second.

Holmes added a third as his 30th minute corner flew directly in.

"Ten minutes of individual errors and losing a goal directly to a corner, and things like that make it very difficult coming to a place like this," said Mellon.

"I think the frustrating thing is the obvious. We can't give away goals the way we did and give ourselves any type of chance, that was the disappointing thing.

"It's easy for me now to stand here and go through them all individually. I think anybody who knows anything about football could go through them all and say 'why didn't he do this' or 'that was ridiculous' or whatever, in all of the goals to be honest.

"But we come to these kind of places, you can't make basic errors like that, you can't concede a goal direct from a corner. If somebody's running at you full flight you have to engage the ball."

The Greenhous Meadow chief added: "When you play with three centre-halves and crosses come in you must dominate the 18-yard line and, looking at it back, the referee has even said it (the second goal) was a handball, those things go against you."

Mellon's charges were boosted by 419 travelling Salopians and as Town enjoyed much more of the ball during the second period, they remained unable to penetrate the Addicks' backline.

"The supporters were fantastic. I was so desperate to get them a goal, but if we defend the basics better we'll be fine. I think we had some good ball retention," added Mellon

"I think we kept it very well to be fair and some chances in that first half. They scored theirs and we didn't."