Verdict: Joker Jason Cummings could be ace up Shrewsbury Town’s sleeve

Town’s joker in the pack has been building up a head of steam each time he has emerged from the bench for Sam Ricketts’ men in recent weeks.

And his arrival at Fleetwood was no laughing matter for the hosts as the Scotland forward lashed an expert finish low into the bottom corner to give the visitors a 2-1 lead with just nine minutes left.

Unfortunately, Shrewsbury were not able to see out what would have been a marvellous victory.

Joey Barton’s men, out of sorts with just one win in nine but an extremely tough nut to crack at home having lost just once, salvaged a late point thanks to substitute Josh Morris’s rocket – an example of the attacking riches the Cod Army posses.

But for Shrewsbury fans – who can now look forward to this weekend’s mammoth FA Cup fourth round tie against Liverpool – the afternoon on the Fylde Coast was all about the impact of last summer’s prized signing Cummings. Shaun Whalley, who impressed with a goal and assist, opened the scoring for Salop at the Highbury Stadium but Lewie Coyle equalised just after half-time before the sides exchanged further blows inside the final 10 minutes.

Supporters are inpatiently demanding that the Scotland international is named from the off for Ricketts’ side.

Cummings hasn’t started since November 30 in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Mansfield, an afternoon he only lasted 62 minutes.

The high-profile signing arrived with a brilliant bang, netting four goals in eight games for his new side, but Ricketts’ words of warning regarding his lack of fitness began to show. Cummings, 24, had paid for a stop-start year having been frozen out at parent club Nottingham Forest and then scarcely being used on loan at Luton.

By all accounts his training over the summer had been minimal and he arrived very low on match fitness.

Cummings was running and scoring on adrenaline initially, but that soon levelled out.

The striker played just 14 minutes of football for Shrewsbury in December across two substitute cameos. Illness halted any progress he had made.

He has made 20 appearances for Town, but completed 90 minutes just once. Most of those starts lasted an hour, or were 20 minutes cameos from the bench here and there.

But something has changed. Cummings helped create Whalley’s last-minute winner against Coventry before Christmas and, since returning to action at Bolton as a very late substitute, has looked very sharp.

He is an out-and-out goalscorer, a natural centre-forward with a deadly finish but his level of ability with the football, in holding up play or picking a pass, is also there to be seen.

Without Cummings’ clever build-up play and little pass then Aaron Pierre would never have thumped in from 30 yards to set up the Liverpool date.

And again, at Fleetwood, Cummings came on with the bit between his teeth. He was busy, clever with the ball and a general nuisance to the home defence.

Then, when his moment arrived from a super Whalley pass, the Scot drilled in an unerring finish in front of the Shrewsbury supporters who are gagging to see him spend more time on the pitch rather than the bench.

Whether he starts against Liverpool hangs in the balance – after all, fellow