Jon Nolan keen to make amends with crucial Shrewsbury goals
Jon Nolan has been playing the moments over and over in his head.
The midfielder has been pretty unflappable for Shrewsbury Town this season but spurned two presentable chances in the stalemate at Bradford last Thursday.
But he is now determined to make up for those costly misses and punish tonight’s opponents Charlton instead.
Nolan’s usual composure on the ball and in front of goal has seen him smash in a career-best goals return of nine this season in helping Paul Hurst’s side on their way in a thrilling campaign.
The Merseyside midfielder has been so intent on breaking double figures this season that, by his own admission, the determination may have became a hindrance at Valley Parade.
“When the ball came over to me in that game the other day I was thinking ‘10 goals, 10 goals’, which obviously I shouldn’t,” Nolan admitted. “I should’ve just been thinking three points.
“Hopefully I get to double figures and that’ll be a good return.
“It’s been playing on my mind for days. We’ve definitely got to win tonight now, we can’t keep relying on them (Wigan and Blackburn) to slip up, we’ve got take it into our own hands.
“I snatched at the both of them. I don’t think I got to sleep until 6am just replaying them in my mind. Hopefully I’ll score tonight instead.”
Town have, to their benefit, been a squad this season rather than a team of individuals. But for Hurst’s men to maintain their top-two push, they could do with talismanic midfielder Nolan leading the charge, beginning against eighth-placed Charlton.
Nolan is known to have a close relationship with Town boss Hurst and hails the boss, who got the best out of him during their short spell together at Grimsby, for this season’s eye-catching form.
“I knew coming here with the gaffer and Doigy (No.2 Chris Doig) that I’d have no problem,” said the midfielder, who joined from Chesterfield in the summer.
“I don’t know what it is I just really like them. I’ve got an unbelievable relationship with the pair of them.
“It was the same at Grimsby. They’re a great management team.
“They’re good man-managers, you can have a laugh with them. More so the gaffer – Doigy has his days where he’s a bit grumpy.
“He’ll say I’m the miserable one, but he needs to have a look in the mirror.”
But it’s not all laughing and joking with Hurst. Can he be firm? “Oh yes of course. It’s good cop, bad cop with them really. Doigy is the one that gives you the telling off but the gaffer can be firm, which he has been on a number of occasions this season.”
Tonight begins a run of three straight Montgomery Waters Meadow clashes and four home games from five to end what could be a fairytale season.
Nolan wants Shrewsbury to use that to their advantage in their pursuit of Wigan and Blackburn.
“Hopefully the fans will come out in their numbers and get behind us,” he continued. “We’ve got to get nine points from the three games on the spin.”
“It was a bit of a fortress for the first half of the season. We’ve got to use home advantage.”
Nolan smiled as he added: “Hopefully (there’s) a bit of sun, I’ve checked the weather and it’s 19 degrees for the next few days, hopefully the grass grows on the pitch.”
