Sam Ricketts out to hone new-look Shrewsbury Town
Sam Ricketts has told his Shrewsbury Town team to take the positives from a second away point of the campaign after a 1-1 draw at Plymouth Argyle.
Town are still hunting for their first league victory of the season but took a welcome point back up the M5 from their long trip to Devon.
Josh Vela’s first goal in Shrewsbury colours capped a lightning start from Ricketts’ side with a deserved lead but Conor Grant fired back for the hosts inside half hour.
Plymouth had the better of the chances in the remaining hour but Town kept Ryan Lowe’s newly-promoted Pilgrims honest and were worthy of their share of the spoils having already claimed a point at Portsmouth. “We’ve had far more possession in games and we’ve had far more chances in games,” Ricketts said.
“Now we have to keep honing it. It’s going to be a long year. It’s a funny season because of how pre-season and everything has gone but we need to keep understanding the good and getting better.”
The boss felt his side were unfortunate on a couple of occasions in front of goal, where Town only sent two of their nine efforts on goal on target.
Ricketts handed a debut to new recruit Leon Clarke from the bench for the final 20 minutes but the experienced 35-year-old hitman could not inspire his new side to a winner.
“We’ve come away to a side promoted last year and very much in a groove of how they want to play,” Ricketts added.
“I thought we nullified them to large extents. A couple of times they got through but you’re never going to nullify everything. We had that many good situations, before and after we scored, where I thought we can hurt them a little bit better, whether it be the final pass or more direct running, the last little bit of quality.
“One goes through Jason’s (Cummings’) legs at the back post when he’s got a tap in. Everything we’ve worked on, the defender just missed it and Jase just missed it. On another day it hits him and goes in.”
Town lost goalkeeper Matija Sarkic to a second-half hamstring injury. Harry Burgoyne came on and made a good late save to preserve a point. Ricketts was pleased to give 20 minutes to new high-profile addition Clarke, having signed the frontman from Premier League Sheffield United.
“We saw glimpses of how he can help us, the quality of his touch, the pressing and the movement,” the boss said.
“He’s a goalscorer as well. He still has that desire and hunger.”
Shrews, meanwhile, are waiting for feedback from defender Ryan Sears’ MRI scan.
