We can become Shrewsbury Town legends – Paul Hurst
Determined boss Paul Hurst has urged his Shrewsbury heroes to make the final step and carve their names into blue and amber history.
Town’s Class of 2018 can match the achievements of the Legends of ‘79, the side that gained promotion to the second tier as Division Three champions – and remained there for a decade.
Hurst, whose side have a fifth shot at ending Town’s Wembley hoodoo on May 27 against either Rotherham or Scunthorpe, who face off tonight, acknowledges that one more victory can make all the difference on how this group are remembered.
Shrewsbury’s remarkable battle for the top two automatic League One promotion spots and subsequent play-off semi-final success over Charlton brought memorable scenes at Montgomery Waters Meadow as players enjoyed the worship of fans who had stormed the field.
“I talked with the chairman (Roland Wycherley) the other day,” admitted Hurst. “I’m obviously delighted for him but he’s fully aware there’s one more game to go.
“He was disappointed we didn’t reach 90 points to become record-breakers. There were lots of records up at the awards night on the screen.
“We’ve now achieved something else. We won the first leg which I think was the club’s first time in play-off history. We’ve now reached another final.”
Hurst added that he believes the current crop should be remembered regardless of the outcome in the national stadium later this month.
He continued: “But if it doesn’t go our way, will it be forgotten because it’s not in the history books? I think ultimately it deserves to be no matter what happens.
“But if we did come out on top these players certainly should go down in history – certainly for some fans I think they will anyway.”
The boss believes the big occasion inspired his group of players, and now wants them to prove it on the biggest stage.
“Maybe we needed the big occasion,” he said. “There’s no doubt, no matter how you dress it, the last few games – compared to what we’re used to – were a different feel. When we’ve had to, we’ve delivered. One of the very few times we haven’t was at Wembley and we want to try and put that right.
“Of course we want to win and no-one would care how the game is or how we perform. I just hope we do ourselves justice more than we did the last time.
“If we do then we give ourselves a chance.”
