Comment: Shrewsbury fans have a key role to play

There is no doubt that fans are embracing this special season, as their side battle for glory on three fronts.

Supporters have suffered enough scraps with relegation to deserve a break and they are grabbing it with both hands.

The support has been tremendous for Paul Hurst and the players. Exactly what they deserve for their heroics this season.

Some 1,500 Town fans were expected at Blackburn Rovers today, a first league visit to Ewood Park since 1988.

Blackburn are the big guns but Shrewsbury are the plucky underdogs fighting at the top and not willing to let go. Town go to Lancashire with an advantage that could open to eight points if they secure a famous win.

A mere three days later and the London Stadium rolls around. A grand stadium, the centre-piece of one of the nation’s proudest sporting occasions in 2012.

It is some stage for Town to showcase their talents.

By Friday lunchtime in excess of 2,100 tickets had been sold for the trip to east London. The initial 3,000 allocation seems like it will be hit in no time and, you hope, that the Premier League outfit will sanction more tickets for Town fans.

The East End will turn blue and amber for one evening and there is real onus on Shrews to cause an upset.

It may not boast the heritage, character or unique enclosed feel of Upton Park, but the experience will be one to savour for the players and fans.

Not since the trip to the Emirates in 2011 where more than 5,000 travelled – admittedly with more time to purchase tickets for the glamour League Cup tie – have Salopians followed their team on the road like this.

It is a fantastic, one-off occasion, and while the next round would prove a lower-profile affair against Wigan or Bournemouth, Shrewsbury are still making a name for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, just 1,300 turned out for the Checkatrade Trophy shootout victory against Blackpool. The maligned competition has a woeful reputation, but with another home tie in the quarter-finals – Town are two wins from a Wembley date.

But it is in League One that the swelling crowds could really aid Town’s push.

A total of 1,347 followed Hurst’s men to the DW Stadium on December 26 as first took on second. That number was boosted by the generally improved travelling figures on Boxing Day.

But it has not proved a one-off and Shrews are set to eclipse that figure today – six days on from selling out Montgomery Waters Meadow for the televised FA Cup tie with West Ham.

Town fans have got the bug.

The Meadow crowds have grown on recent seasons as Hurst has guided his men beyond all hopes and dreams this season.

And it is on home soil that fans must continue with their backing.

Next week’s visit of mid-table Doncaster is every bit as crucial as today’s trip to promotion rivals Blackburn. The cliché of every game being a big game rings true.

So Hurst and the club’s hierarchy will hope that fans who enjoyed last weekend’s West Ham tie and the reverse trip on Tuesday – as well as those floating supporters who turn out for the odd game – will commit for the run-in.

The blue and amber faithful certainly need to continue seizing the moment, because opportunities and form like this do not come around very often.

Things could quickly swing. That is football, and that is why Town need to soak it in while it is unfolding.

Ewood Park today, the London Stadium on Tuesday. Enjoy. Then on to the next one.