Comment: Biggest test yet for Shrewsbury to overcome

With just single figures left in League One fixtures this season boss Paul Hurst could have done without losing two of his key players in this fairytale campaign.

Abu Ogogo’s four-match suspension and Ben Godfrey’s hamstring injury could hardly have come at a worse point as the games stack up and Town embark on a promotion run-in.

The next few matches are a test of Hurst’s, and the squad’s, ability to divert to Plan B or even C.

Plan A, where Godfrey has sat in front of a back four and behind Ogogo and Jon Nolan, has worked so sensationally this season that it has rarely needed to be ditched.

But with Shrewsbury still working with a modest sized squad – particularly compared to their rivals at the top – Hurst hardly has player options coming out of his ears.

Bryn Morris, who has had to cope with a place on the fringes this term, will come in alongside man of the moment Nolan, but beyond that central midfield options are limited. January signing Sam Jones may have warmed up his vocal chords since arriving but he has not yet proven his match fitness.

At the risk of Morris and Nolan appearing a little lightweight in the centre of the park in a traditional 4-4-2, Hurst may well opt to shuffle his formation options.

A three-man defence with wing-backs has been utilised sporadically this season.

It could be the answer for today’s visit of AFC Wimbledon and beyond.

Hurst, his assistant Chris Doig and the other staff will drill the desired system into the squad and offer all the information necessary. It is then up to the players to carry out orders. The boss has backed their flexibility and intelligence. The proof will ultimately be in the pudding.

It is not the first time Shrewsbury have to contend with problems this season.

Junior Brown’s injury blow back in October is an obvious example, Dean Henderson’s January suspension another. Indeed, they have proved doubters wrong all season long.

Meanwhile, the news that fans’ favourite Brown is to be offered a new deal will have been music to supporters’ ears.

The left-back, who has not played since October when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Fleetwood, sees his Montgomery Waters Meadow deal run out this summer and there were concerns from fans that Brown may not play again for Shrewsbury as other clubs eyed his signature.

But Hurst took the strongest stance possible by stating he wants Brown to remain, regardless of what division Town are in next season. He said a contract will be offered.

In the successful five months since Brown’s injury it has been easy to forget just how good the flying left-back was in the early part of the season.

The news of his season-ending injury was, at the time, a hammer blow to Town’s early promotion credentials. With no natural left-back in reserve, it looked very much an uphill task.

Credit Omar Beckles, who has slotted in remarkably well.

But take nothing away from how important Brown is to the club, on and off the pitch, and how highly he is rated by the management staff and his team-mates.

It is refreshing to hear that Hurst is keen to put building blocks in place for next season regardless of how the current campaign ends.

Surely one of the boss’s major jobs will be keeping an eye on skipper Ogogo’s contract situation. The suspended midfielder’s deal also runs out and, after his tireless and passionate displays this season, tying him down should be a must.