Paul Hurst asks serious questions of Shrewsbury players following Vale defeat
Disappointed Paul Hurst questioned his Shrewsbury Town players' attitudes and mentality after a Port Vale claimed a vital 2-1 win.
A second-half collapse, in which the hosts scored twice in three minutes, stole the Valiants all three points and dragged Town closer to the drop zone.
Hurst's side have taken just two points from games against Coventry, Chesterfield and Port Vale, leaving them just two points clear.
And the boss questioned as to whether his side believed they were out of danger, or whether the occasion got the better of them.
Hurst said: "We questioned there (in the dressing room) whether we thought we were out of it. I kept saying 'far from it;', but at least we have a nice easy game next against Bolton.
"It was frustrating. Disappointing. It was almost like it was edgy, not doing simple things I know they can with their eyes closed on the training ground.
"The other question is whether some of the players have got the temperament, Do they get too nervous and too uptight. I said I wouldn't build the game up, it took care of itself a local game.
"Which is it? Were we not up for it? Too up for it?"
Hurst questioned both teams' ability to string simple passes together in what were torrential conditions in Burslem.
Town have won just two matches on the road under their boss, and that record now stands at one away win in 10 in all competitions,
Difficult fixtures lay ahead, as in-form Bolton visit Greenhous Meadow next, with Town also facing every team from sixth to tenth place in League One.
"We didn't play until we were 2-0 down," Hurst added. "It was a nothing game in truth, there was a little bit of endeavor in difficult conditions but I think the standard in general was poor.
"Both sets of players can't pass a ball 10 yards and it turned into a nothing affair.
"We concede the first, then if you do that you can't concede again, Too easy, both goals were major errors that're easy to pick out and we give ourselves too much to do.
"Realistically you can't just play for 20 minutes, you've got to play for a lot longer than that.
"If the lads don't understand then we're in danger. That's the fact."
