Shrewsbury Town's noisy training sessions are music to Paul Hurst's ears
Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Hurst says his men have risen to the challenge after some 'nice and noisy' efforts on the training pitch.
Town were in FA Cup action against Fleetwood Town at the Greenhous Meadow today.
Hurst, whose charges are bottom of the League One table, said training earlier this week was eerily quiet – but he has now seen a lot more fire from them.
He said: "We had a practice game on Tuesday and I think that was met with a little bit of silence – 'what are we doing, do I have to play in it?'
"I have to say, we have then had arguably one of the best training sessions that we have had since I have come to the club.
"We were very lively and there was a nice balance there of some words being exchanged, but not stepping over the mark.
"It was nice and noisy. It felt like you were almost stood on the side coaching, or managing, a group who are doing well.
"It was positive and more like what I expect.
"You don't get that every single day, don't get me wrong – but it was certainly much better than it has been."
In his playing days, Hurst was a left-back renowned for his work ethic and spent 18 years at Rotherham United.
His only domestic cup honour as a player or boss came in 1996, when the Millers enjoyed a 2-1 success against Shrewsbury in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley.
One of his best FA Cup highlights as a manager was a win against Scunthorpe while in charge of Grimsby Town.
Hurst is eager to create more memories and said: "We beat Scunthorpe, who were our local rivals.
"We had a sell-out at Blundell Park and I have to say it was one of the best atmospheres I've ever been involved with as a player or a manager.
"There was a buzz around the ground outside and as you walked onto the pitch in the warm-up.
"Maybe there was a little bit of, some people might say hatred – I think that's a little too strong – certainly a dislike towards each other. We earned a replay and we went there and won 2-1 in a sell-out for the Grimsby fans. That was a good memory."
On his Salop squad, Hurst added: "What I have found in this job – you either remind yourself or speak to other people and they remind you – is that everyone is not the same as you are.
"There is no doubt you relate to people and players that are a little bit more like yourself. From my point of view, I hope we have got people who want to rise to the challenge."
