Let’s add a defining moment, Paul Hurst urges to his Shrewsbury players

Town have enjoyed countless highs from a season where they have gone from relegation favourites to Sunday’s League One play-off final at Wembley.

But the ambitious boss was disappointed his side could not etch their names into blue and amber history by breaching the 90-point mark – which would have been a record – or by ending Town’s barren Wembley run last month against Lincoln.

He said: “We wanted to win the Checkatrade, that was a chance to put your name in the history books gone, we wanted to reach 90 points on the last day, we tried using that and it didn’t work for us.

“Very minimally but we’re just falling short of having that outstanding moment where people go ‘yes’.

“If not it’ll be ‘what a season – but it didn’t quite happen’. That’ll be the bit whirling around my head. I’ll be thinking ‘it was great, but if only’.

“That’s horrible and unfair on reflection. But for a small period that’d be how most people would feel.”

Hurst’s men have enjoyed some fine days in League One this season, including late winners at Rotherham, Doncaster and Bristol Rovers as well as a thrilling 180 minutes against Charlton in the play-off semi-finals. But the Town chief says one of his toughest roles is tempering expectation and reminding fans how far his side have come.

“Let’s say we don’t win on Sunday,” he said. “We start next season and our budget has not massively increased or gone through the roof.

“Why wouldn’t we be towards accepting staying in the division or having another season as an established League One club being a success?

“Well it wouldn’t be because of what happened the season before. We’ve almost jumped far too soon and for no obvious reason.

“It’s a difficulty I have, to get people to understand that. We’d do everything to have another similar season but I dare say it’d be nigh-on impossible.

“You always strive to make it possible but it would be difficult.”