Shrewsbury Town boss Sam Ricketts decides to take a shrewd approach
“I wouldn’t say we are” was Sam Ricketts’ response when asked this week whether his side were promotion contenders.
And why would he say otherwise? The Town boss is sensibly downplaying expectation after a good start to the League One season.
The victory at Blackpool last weekend, the first time back-to-back wins have been achieved in the league this season, left Shrews just two points from sixth going into today’s festive visit of Rotherham, another side above them, although by just a single point.
Fans looking even further up will see that just five points separated Shrewsbury and second-placed Ipswich before today’s games.
Town’s recent form, and first half to the season in general, should be lauded. With the exception of leaders Wycombe – who are enjoying freakish success – Town are punching above their weight in the position they currently occupy.
The Chairboys aside, it is believed Ricketts is operating on the lowest budget in the league’s top half. Going by the figures they should not be consistently beating the likes of Portsmouth, Sunderland, Peterborough, Coventry and Blackpool.
Ricketts has only been in the Montgomery Waters Meadow hot-seat a little over 12 months and, specifically in the last month or two, it feels like the manager and his team are making strides.
Big victories in the last two games have also convinced supporters that their team is moving in the right direction. The momentum shift has been palpable.
The Welshman has been clear all season on Town’s blueprint of improving on last term. He also knows that bettering 15th is better than all but one season in more than two decades.
After all, the manager has a long-term focus at Shrewsbury, where he has built a squad that will largely remain under contract for seasons to come.
Ricketts added: “I’m not trying to bat anything down, but we’re trying to improve on last year.
“There are an awful lot of big sides in this league expected to be up there. Some are struggling and some aren’t.
“We’re just quietly going about our business and seeing where we can go. We know we can give anyone a game on our day. It’s just how consistently can we do it?”
The Shrews boss added: “We’ve got to try to build consistency. There has been a huge transition of players since I’ve been in, 39 or so.
“For the first time we’re entering this transfer window and the summer one with 16 players under contract, ready to go next season.
“That hasn’t always been the case. It does mean we can be very specific who we target to improve. We have a really good squad with an excellent spirit. You have to be careful about who you bring in.
“I’m really pleased with what you’ve got, we’re over-achieving, but it doesn’t mean we’re not trying to push on.”
