Five Shrewsbury Town openers to remember

Shrewsbury 3-1 Bradford City, 2010

Two names will spring to mind – Graham Turner and Jake Robinson.

It was a dream start to Turner’s second era as Town boss, with forward Robinson netting a memorable treble to help the hosts come from behind to secure a League Two win.

The striker showed some fine finishing to help get the campaign up and running.

The season was to end in heartbreak as Town fell to a play-off defeat against Torquay, but bounced back with automatic promotion the following year.

Shrewsbury 1-1 Margate, 2003

Steve Watts is a popular Town quiz answer.

He scored the club’s opening goal of their Nationwide Conference season in 2003/04.

Visitors Margate left Gay Meadow with a point in a 1-1 draw, but the game was part of a landmark season for the club, their only campaign out of the post-war Football League.

The season ended in euphoria, clinching play-off success on penalties against Aldershot at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium for an instant return to the League.

Swansea 2-0 Shrewsbury Town, 1979

Town took nothing from their first-ever game in English football’s second tier but it remains a historical occasion marking the start of 10 seasons at that level.

Graham Turner had secured the promotion as player-manager the season before and Town’s finish of 13th in Division Two was hailed as a fine achievement and the start of enjoyable years for fans.

Vetch Field packed in 17,041 supporters that day, compared to 2,346 with Brentford the season prior.

Fulham 1-2 Shrewsbury Town, 1984

The 1984/85 season, statistically, was Town’s most successful in their history.

They secured their joint-highest Second Division finish (8th), and highest-ever points tally of 65.

On August 25 at Craven Cottage, goals from Gary Stevens and Gary Hackett earned Town a fine 2-1 win over the Londoners in front of 4,898 supporters.

Town, under Chic Bates with Graham Turner having departed for Aston Villa, won 18 of their 42 league games that campaign.

Reading 3-3 Shrewsbury Town, 1989

If you’re looking for an opening day packed with action then the Division Three clash with Reading is the one.

Town’s decade in the second tier had came to an end and, back in the Third Division, they came up against a Reading side that eventually pipped them to 10th place by a point.

Doug Bell, Carl Griffiths and Tony Kelly got the goals on the day.

Town’s all-out attacking squad thrashed in seven goals in their opening two league matches that season.