Gillingham v Shrewsbury preview: Town won’t relax until they confirm survival
Shrewsbury Town are edging towards League One safety but Sam Ricketts stresses there is no time to relax.
Ricketts will demand his team continue with their foot on the gas until the fat lady’s large intake of breath.
A win at Gillingham, one place and point above them, tomorrow would take Salop to 50 points, usually the holy grail when it comes to security in this division.
If the current bottom four – Bradford, Walsall, AFC Wimbledon and Southend – all lost then Shrews would be seven points clear with four games to play. Factoring in the number of teams between Town and the dangerzone, that would surely be almost insurmountable.
Shrews have lost one from the last four, winning two of those. Their form has been patchy all season long, in streaks one way then the other, this form should secure safety with some to spare.
The bottom 12 form table – 12th-placed Oxford are now deemed safe on 52 points – has Town joint-second from the last 10 league games. Joint-second (on 15 points), with Gillingham. They trail once-doomed AFC Wimbledon, who are now flying (in 22nd).
Does light at the end of a long, gloomy tunnel mean players are easing off?
“The players know we still need results. If we weren’t to get any more points now we’re relying on other clubs not to get any points,” Ricketts insisted.
“I don’t like to rely on anyone else to do anything for us.
“We know we have to maintain our levels, improve as well, and keep the results ticking over to look after ourselves.
“You can say they’ve (Shrews and Gills seasons) been similar.
“They’ve had some very, very good results and – like us – some that have disappointed as well.
“That’s football – consistency.”
Gillingham’s last five games bring just the one victory, so Town are edging recent records.
Shrewsbury’s torrid away form this term has brought plenty of scrutiny but Ricketts has trebled the victories on the road in League One in recent months.
Big wins at Southend and Peterborough have at least shown the players are capable. But the manner of back-to-back reverses at Rochdale and Plymouth not so long ago have been an Achilles heel all season long.
Playing away often suits sides with pacy, energetic attacks. There have been numerous examples of sides coming to the Meadow and stifling Salop recently. But Shrews should benefit from more space away from home, where the onus is on the hosts to show intent.
“It can suit us, yes. Games at home, Scunthorpe, Wimbledon as well, both were pretty similar. We had 14 shots and Wimbledon had one,” said Ricketts.
“Scunthorpe had a few more shots but it was us probing the questions, we didn’t test the keeper enough.
“You’d imagine playing away from home that teams have to come at you a little bit more, we need to negate that threat and impose our own threats on the game.
“We haven’t made it count as much as I would’ve liked, certainly in a few games.
“We’ve got in really good situations but haven’t had that final action, cross, shot or whatever. That’s the clinicalness you need to win games. We’ve showed it in certain games but not in others.”
Some consistency, a bit of clinicalness, and the fat lady may give her tune.
