Paul Hurst: Nothing will be decided for Shrewsbury tonight

The Town boss will hammer home the message that the shot for a Wembley place is decided over 180 minutes against Charlton, rather than tonight’s semi-final first-leg at The Valley.

Hurst and the players are preparing for the biggest game of their careers with a potential place in the Championship just three games away.

The former Grimsby boss, a veteran of the play-offs having tackled them six times in nine years as a manager, knows more than most how the knockout ties can play out.

Hurst has only failed to make the play-off final twice in those six attempts. The boss wants his side to give themselves a chance of seeing through the job through in Sunday’s Montgomery Waters Meadow return leg.

He said: “I’ve made them aware of a few things and will remind them again. You have to keep hammering the same messages home.

“Certainly about the game not just being about Thursday. It’s a tie over two games.

“I’ll be very surprised if anything is sorted out in terms of winners on Thursday.”

Hurst is wary of his players over-reacting to a goal deficit or any other flashpoints against Lee Bowyer’s Addicks tonight.

Bowyer’s side enjoyed a 2-0 win at Montgomery Waters Meadow last month. Town’s fine 2-0 victory at The Valley in February – one of their best displays of the season – will give the visitors hope.

“At the same time there’s different scenarios,” he added. "You can’t get too carried away if it’s going well and you can’t get too down if you have a difficult period or fall a goal behind.

“It’s not imperative that you try to get a goal back or have a response with pressure instantly. I view it as one big, long game, albeit you can change a team around for the second match if you chose.”

Hurst and his team travelled down to their London base yesterday and are likely to undergo a light training session today.

The boss wants the high-energy front foot approach that has served Town so well this season. He is also wary of the soft goals Town have shipped in recent weeks. Their defensive record reads one clean sheet in nine games.

“We’ll approach it pretty much the same. It’s more the situation within the game. Whether that’s us in front, Charlton in front, not to panic on the evening.

Hurst continued: “In terms of the overall approach – I know when we’re at our best, what we’re about. I don’t think it would suit us to just go there and defend.

“If they force us to do that then that can happen but our intent will be there to approach it as we have done with near enough every game and try and get a possible result.

“If you look at some of the goals we’ve conceded, a few of them haven’t been great. More often than not we’re involved in tight games.

“Whether a win, a defeat, it’s been us. It’s great in one way as you think you’re always in the game.

“We pride ourselves on our fitness, defensive record – which is still good – but if we can keep a clean sheet in one of the games I’d suggest we’d be in with a really good shout.”

Bowyer was appointed as caretaker after Karl Robinson’s sacking on March 22 and was since given a job until the summer.

“It looks as though they’ve become a little bit more resilient,” said Hurst. “Sometimes players in there can help and maybe Karl didn’t have some available at times.

“I think they’ve gone a little bit more direct. That’s not to say they’re not passing it, but they’re more direct than previously. Results have been good. I’d not knock a style like that.

"He’s had an impact, changed one or two things around and will hope it’ll take them all the way. We want to make sure his journey ends in the semi-final stage.”