Shrewsbury Town down time is vital in hectic run

Cotterill’s charges were handed an unexpected weekend off after tomorrow’s clash with Sunderland was called off due to a Covid outbreak in the north east club’s camp.

And that will afford the players who started back-to-back wins at Hull and Lincoln time to recover ahead of the festive schedule.

Cotterill named the same starting XI for both matches and was rewarded with impressive results against the division’s top two.

But he is aware players may also be feeling a little weary after two long-distance journeys, with more to follow later in the month.

Town also head to Doncaster next Tuesday before visiting Wigan on Boxing Day.

Cotterill said: “When you are picking the same team it does get hard on their legs and we are going to have to shut the boys down for a couple of days. We definitely need to do that.

“It would have been difficult to change the team (from Saturday) because at the moment they are all in a rhythm.

“But the travelling does take it out of you. To do what the players did at Lincoln on Tuesday, after the shift they put in at Hull on a heavy pitch, was really impressive.

“People don’t realise it is three hours to Hull on the bus, three hours back. Three hours to Lincoln on Tuesday and three hours back.

“I know it doesn’t sound a lot and you are only sitting on the bus, but it does get a little bit sapping for them, especially when you want them to go out there and perform.

“It is unbelievable what we are asking these players to do really. If we could have a week’s break I would, so we could rehabilitate the players properly.

“It really is a tough grind and when you are down there you really have to be strong physically and mentally. So far, the players have shown that.”

Cotterill, who replaced Sam Ricketts as Town boss last month, is keeping his feet firmly on the ground after taking eight points from his first four matches in charge.

Shrewsbury remain in the relegation zone and Cotterill said: “I probably would have taken the points we’ve got so far but if I look at the two games we drew, I think we should have won those games.

“I don’t want to be greedy and say we could have had a maximum haul but I think it is fair to say I would have accepted eight out of 12.”

Forward Shaun Whalley will be aiming to continue his own strong form when Town face Doncaster on Tuesday after hitting the back of the net three times in his last five League One matches, including the winner at Lincoln.

“It has been (gruelling),” he said, when asked about the schedule. “It is never nice for me to come over to the east side of the country from where I am based, so it is good to get a couple of these trips out of the way.

“There were no fans at Lincoln which was a shame. It is a little bit strange. When you score you want to go to the away fans but there are none there, so you just end up running to the corner.

“We just go into every game now looking to work hard and see where that takes us.”