Analysis: Prepare for more twists and turns in Shrewsbury promotion fight

And the promotion battle that lies ahead promises to have more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller as another Montgomery Waters Meadow contest slipped away from the hosts.

One thing is for sure after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against in-form Rotherham, Town fans can not afford to get too caught up in the emotional rollercoaster of this run-in as things can change so quickly.

There is so little between first, second, third and even fourth that the momentum can swing from club to club on each matchday.

Last Tuesday at Fleetwood another dramatic late winner meant Hurst’s men flew back to top spot and everything was looking rosy.

But a second consecutive Meadow reversal had frustrated fans cursing their luck, the lack of creativity in their side’s display and the ineptitude of officials on a forgettable afternoon.

Hurst, as all successful and switched-on managers should be, stayed level-headed despite the result. He does not get too high with a win or too low with a defeat.

For the heart rate and health of Town fans all over, they may want to start taking a leaf out of the manager’s book as, with 14 league games to play and the schedule heating up, momentum will swing this way and that.

It is fair to say that in a first versus fourth clash, with Wigan in FA Cup action against Manchester City and Blackburn’s clash televised tonight, the meeting of Hurst and his former beloved Millers was a chance to ask real questions of Town’s more prestigous promotion rivals. There was barely anything in a dull spectacle at the Meadow.

The testing recent weather conditions meant the playing surface was questionable for a second week running and tough for either side to orchestrate any flowing football – as pointed out by both bosses after the game.

But the visiting Millers – who scored for the 26th game running and made it six wins on the bounce while going unbeaten in 13 – handled the conditions better.

They were bigger, as Hurst feared pre-match, and tougher than Shrewsbury. In a similar manner to Plymouth the week before, Town were given a dose of their own medicine and shown how to play the conditions.

Town chances were at a premium. Paul Warne’s men enjoyed the lion’s share of opportunities but the hosts’ chances, through Shaun Whalley before the break and Nathan Thomas after it, were the clearer.

You wondered whether, after the visitors came out of the traps at breakneck speed, they would regret their several missed chances.

Having seen the 90 minutes, a goalless draw would have been a fair account.

But the winner, scored by skipper Richard Wood on the stroke of half-time, was a clear as day a Dean Henderson error. He came to claim a cross and got nowhere near, stuck in traffic and knocked away from it. Wood gobbled up the open goal.

It was uncharacteristic from Henderson, who has not quite been his old self since returning from suspension.

Hurst suggested he was served humble pie. Will the boss go a step further and drop him in favour of Craig MacGillivray?

Boos – mostly aimed at referee Carl Boyeson who whistled at every opportunity in the second period – rang around at full-time.

It is easier said than done, but Town fans must stay level-headed and grounded ahead of the exciting turbulence that lies ahead.