Fifty points is still the target for Shrewsbury Town – Paul Hurst

The League One pacesetters have blown their pre-season relegation favourites tag out of the water with a thunderous start.

Town, who take their unbeaten record to rivals Walsall on Saturday, have already chalked up 29 points, a sum that took until January 28 to reach last season.

Fifty points is used as a yardstick for security from relegation in the third tier. And the boss maintains that it remains the only target despite Town’s sensational early form.

“Honestly no, I haven’t reassessed at all – and that’s the truth,” insisted Hurst.

“People can say it’s boring, pessimistic or whatever. My feet are well and truly on the ground. There will be no talk of anything other than trying to get to 50 points as quickly as possible as our first target.

“We’re on a really good run but what happens if that run goes the other way?

Enjoying

“Last season coming in, we’d only picked up 10 points from 15 games, what if that happens? You can very easily get in a different run of form.

“If other people want to have thoughts and ideas then I’m happy for them to let them talk between themselves but I don’t want to listen to it. I’m just enjoying watching the team at the minute.

“If it continues then I’m sure we’ll be fine down the line.”

The Montgomery Waters Meadow chief explained that it was about striking a balance between telling the players that they are good enough to compete and not letting them get carried away.

Town took seven points from nine against well-fancied teams Wigan, Blackburn and Scunthorpe last month.

Hurst added: “Before the Scunthorpe game I told them that they’re a good team. That’s not always the case.

“It’s about them believing that they’re good enough to compete whoever they come up against but not getting carried away.

“The players know they’ve got to perform. They get that from myself and Doigy, that we won’t slacken off on them, because they’ve shown what they can achieve when they’re at it.”