Verdict: Sam Ricketts’ biggest Shrewsbury Town win yet could be priceless
This was a huge victory for Shrewsbury Town.
Forget the historical relevance – writing their name in the history books with a first win over the Black Cats in 12 is some going – this was massive for the here and now.
This is a victory that can provide a real platform for Shrewsbury moving forward. It’s a tangible result for staff, players and particularly supporters to see that methods are working and Town can be ambitious and progress in the current set-up.
It was the kind of performance and result that can unite and inspire supporters to get on board with Sam Ricketts’ tenure at Montgomery Waters Meadow. It can – and should – also inspire the players to achieve similar results.
Ricketts made a tactical change for this one and it bore fruit for his team. His gameplan worked expertly as Town frustrated their visitors and took their moment when it arrived.
Jason Cummings’ first-half winner was as sweetly struck a finish as you might have seen all weekend.
But to defend that goal for 70 minutes is some effort by the collective. Town haven’t all of a sudden found the winning formula. They are not suddenly perfect and set for a long, extended winning run.
Shrewsbury did have a slice of fortune on their side as Sunderland, somehow, were unable to find a way through to equalise. But you earn your own luck and Ricketts’ side could hardly have worked any harder towards what was the biggest victory in the manager’s 11 months in charge.
Another clean sheet
There was yet another example of that fiercely drilled defence, a backline that made it seven clean sheets in 14 games.
The back three, back five, or indeed the entire 10 outfield players, ran themselves into the ground trying to keep this talented Sunderland attacking unit at bay.
The Black Cats may have found the woodwork on at least two occasions but Salop were well worthy of the clean sheet.
Cummings made a mockery of the suggestion that Town can’t hit opponents where it hurts.
His goal, a fine finish for his fourth in blue and amber, was just rewards for a Town side showing desire to get into the final third and ask questions of the Sunderland defence, rather than just focusing on keeping their opposition out.
Ricketts ditched the usual 3-5-2 and switched to a variant of 3-4-3, a more attacking style, against Phil Parkinson’s Black Cats – who pitched up on the back of a 5-0 romp of Tranmere.
It meant Dave Edwards and Shaun Whalley – both introduced to the starting XI alongside the other change, Scott Golbourne – played attacking roles in support of striker Cummings.
Golbourne, starting his first game of the season on the left, and former Sunderland man Donald Love, on the right , were tasked with getting forward when possible, but filling in with the defenders when the visitors ventured forward.
Town’s shape worked and the home side, in front of a big 8,000-plus crowd at a soggy Meadow, matched their esteemed visitors in the first period.
It was always going to be tough to enjoy that kind of success across 90 minutes against a Sunderland side roared on by 1,800 expectant away fans and the second half was backs-to-the-wall. But Town battled their way to another clean sheet.
By hook or by crook, and Lady Luck did intervene on a couple of occasions, they ensured there was no way through for Sunderland’s plethora of stars.
Front three
A real plus-point for Ricketts and Shrewsbury is how the ‘front three’ worked together.
Edwards and Whalley played closer to Cummings and it meant the frontman was not isolated. The pair showed relentless energy in both directions, but most importantly brought more of a threat in attacking positions.
Whalley is such an influence and his start in the league has been a little while in coming, but he surely has to be a regular feature. The No.7 commits players, causes havoc and is generally a huge menace for Town and they should use him.
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The question for Ricketts this season is where to fit him in the 3-5-2 system. But the 3-4-3 provides a role for him and one other supporting Cummings or whichever striker Ricketts selects. It means a slot that could be filled by Fejiri Okenabirhie, Daniel Udoh or Edwards.
Golbourne deserves credit for his steady performance, coming in from the cold for his first league start of the season owing to Ryan Giles’ injury.
The experienced defender took a while to bed in, but once he found his feet he was an assured presence with the ball. It was an impressive return to action.
Ricketts left out Sean Goss for the first time since the midfielder’s arrival, meaning more onus on birthday boy Ollie Norburn and Josh Laurent to run the midfield and win the battles against their counterparts, and the duo did that most impressively.
Laurent was at his energetic and driving best, creating the goal with a fine run and showing more of the same later on. Norburn grew into the contest and was an important figure in keeping Sunderland out as time wore on.
Town are five games unbeaten in all competitions (four in the league) and have lost just once in nine. They went unbeaten, taking eight points from a possible 12 in a progressive October.
Ricketts’ side are moving in the right direction and one would hope the new side will only continue to grow in confidence and familiarity.
The Town boss, so early in his management career, has had the numbers of two of his former employers, Kenny Jackett and now Parkinson, in narrow wins this season.
This success against Sunderland should provide Shrewsbury with a shot in the arm moving forward. It is up to them to build on this big result because the foundations are in place.
