Verdict: Shrewsbury Town are left rocking by Fleetwood collapse

Positivity and momentum was on Shrewsbury’s side heading into the visit of Fleetwood and Sam Ricketts’ men started the game like a side keen to further cement their good start to the season.

But what followed, after around half an hour of good early attacking intent, was not good enough and leaves questions to be answered.

Town fell to pieces after going 1-0 down to a fortunate own goal opener against the run of play. They capitulated mentally, it had to be a confidence thing. Belief drained out of the 11 bodies in front of the eyes of around 6,000 people.

It was quite shocking. After 20 minutes on the clock, Shrews were playing Joey Barton’s Cod Army off the park. Fleetwood hadn’t had a sniff or laid a glove on their hosts as an attacking force.

Not even the most pessimistic Shrewsbury fan could have seen a 3-0 home defeat on the cards.

Salop had the chance to really kick on from their recent improvement and prove to their supporters why there is such ambition within the camp this season.

It was the first home Saturday fixture at Montgomery Waters Meadow for more than a month. Many home fans had yet to see Ricketts’ side featuring their new-look strike force, who had checked in recently.

The run of three games unbeaten since the international break was a further source of optimism while Town were also unbeaten in the league at home, an important record they were keen on prolonging.

It wasn’t an easy chance – Fleetwood went into the clash fifth, five places higher than their hosts, and Barton has his side fighting for every tackle and every point. They are the embodiment of how he was as a footballer. But, as Ricketts said afterwards, Town totally let the opportunity pass them by. For 25 minutes, it was all the hosts and they should have converted at least one of their chances – Ryan Giles with the big opening that he blazed over from inside the box.

The Cod Army had barely ventured forward, but nine minutes before the interval broke the deadlock. Even that had an element of luck to it as Jimmy Dunne’s header from a corner hit the bar before the unlucky Callum Lang inadvertently turned it into his own net.

But Town couldn’t moan about misfortune. Not for the first time this season they conceded directly from a corner where the marking for the first ball had been nowhere near good enough.

But a 1-0 deficit should not have been the end of the world. Town were well in the game, the better side, there was still almost an hour left to force an equaliser to keep that home record intact.

Instead what followed was a weak response. Weak in body and mind as Shrewsbury could not motivate themselves to fight back, particularly after half-time when it was clear they would need to come out with a positive mindset and pin Fleetwood back.

The half-time 1-0 advantage suited Barton’s men down to the ground. They used all the tricks in the book to stifle Shrews in the second period, niggling fouls, time wasting, winding up on the pitch and in the dugouts with Josh Morris and Paddy Madden adding the second and third.

Referee Kevin Johnson, for large parts, lost control. Ricketts alleged afterwards that Mr Johnson had been manipulated by the tactics.

An example of Fleetwood’s dark arts were to try to get Town skipper Ollie Norburn, already on a yellow, sent off. Somehow they didn’t succeed as Norburn kept his head. Barton tried his best in the fourth official’s ear.

Frustration threatened to boil over near the end as the management teams exchanged words in the dugout. Barton was booked shortly afterwards, to severe ironic cheers from the home crowd. The manager then thought it wise to signal ‘3-0’ to the Shrewsbury fans. It felt very needless.

Ricketts was right that the referee lost control, but it should not mask the way his side lost control of the game and themselves.

Fleetwood’s gameplan worked. The visitors very much ‘did a job’ on Town. But the north west side were not pushed nearly as hard as they should have been.

It was a very meek effort at getting back in the game. It didn’t feel like they didn’t want it enough, or that there was a lack of effort – it more felt like a severe lack of belief. There was simply no way back.

There is no good reason why that should have been the case. Shrewsbury were, or at least should have been, in a good place heading into his match. It felt like they could have been on the crest of a wave or the beginning of exciting times.

That does not mean better times aren’t ahead, this is a good squad who have showed some good things this season, but they simply cannot repeat the sort of weak attitude that meant they saw no way back against Fleetwood.

While Shrewsbury were in a good place form-wise, physically there are concerns throughout the squad again. Ethan Ebanks-Landell limped off with a hamstring problem when he could no longer play through the pain.

Aaron Pierre came on having been rushed back from a calf injury. This was all after Callum Lang went down with a worrying problem.

Town need to recover and bounce back. They need to brush this off. Prove it is only a minor setback and not damaging. The disappointment around the Meadow was palpable. The boos loud. This Town squad have far higher standards and ambitions than what we saw here.

It was the first home Saturday fixture in five weeks and now there is four-week break until the next. That’s a long time to let a forgettable afternoon fester. The trip to Tranmere on Saturday just got bigger.