Analysis: Shrewsbury show why results not performances key in promotion run-in

Shrewsbury’s 1-0 success over AFC Wimbledon was just about deserved on the balance of chances but any real moments of excitement were few and far between.

Paul Hurst’s men dominated the ball for the most part and got themselves over the line.

Stefan Payne grabbed the winner, his second in consecutive Saturdays, 10 minutes after the break. And Hurst’s men expertly managed the game for more than half an hour after that, limiting the Dons to precious little.

At the tail end of March, where the clocks have gone forward and the next round of fixtures is the Easter double-header, Shrewsbury Town sit top of League One. Quite remarkable. A 23rd league win this season. The first time Salop have ever reached that total in 38 games.

A decent home crowd of more than 6,000 gave impressive backing to their players on an afternoon that began poignantly with a minute’s applause for the late Ken Mulhearn and Leo Joseph Riley.

Watching eyes of the Blackburn faithful would have been on Montgomery Waters Meadow and Gigg Lane – as Bury hosted Wigan – and with Blackburn uninvolved due to the international break, Rovers’ promotion rivals took their chance.

Tony Mowbrey’s men, top at the start of the weekend, were third come 5pm.

A further indication of how tight the third tier summit is that, before Payne’s goal with Wigan leading at Bury, Town had slipped to third.

The top three’s points tally at the moment reads 78, 77, 76 with Town leading the way. But with things that tight, there are likely to be many more twists and turns.

All the talk going into the visit of struggling Dons was how Hurst was going to get over the double blow of losing central midfield regulars Abu Ogogo and Ben Godfrey to suspension and injury.

The Shrews boss – who switched to a 4-4-2 system to accommodate Payne – could hardly have imagined that, five minutes before the end, he would see one more of his remaining two natural centre-midfielders dismissed for a harsh second bookable offence.

Fortunately Bryn Morris’ red card would not impact Town against a Wimbledon side that looked pretty toothless – but were nonetheless well drilled.

The first half was a forgettable 45 minutes with little to write home about. It seemed tense, cagey and with both teams keen on keeping it tight.

The Montgomery Waters Meadow surface, drier and more bobbly than ever after a harsh winter, hardly helped Hurst’s men play their free-flowing football. The ball skipping up over Alex Rodman’s foot and out of play was as memorable as things got.

But to their credit, as on countless occasions this season, Hurst and Chris Doig got the response they were looking for after a half-time rally.

Town already scuppered three presentable opportunities before Payne’s well-taken 54th minute strike. Wimbledon’s defensive organisation seemed to desert them at the beginning of the second half and Town pounced.

Shrewsbury managed the game in style – aside from Morris’ red – and could have added more. But one was crucially enough as the side most backed for certain relegation returned back to the top of the pile with little over a month to play.

Thoughts and concerns turn to the central midfield issue ahead of Good Friday’s trip to Rochdale. It may be time for yet another system rejig. But there is still time to soak in another fine Town win and that League One table.