Shropshire Star

Aaron Wilbraham: Steve Cotterill will not let Shrewsbury Town slack off

Aaron Wilbraham insists that even from afar boss Steve Cotterill will not allow complacency or a lack of motivation creep into Shrewsbury Town before the season ends.

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Town head to relegation-threatened Northampton Town tomorrow for the first of their Easter Bank Holiday double-header, which brings Plymouth to Montgomery Waters Meadow on Monday, writes Lewis Cox.

Cobblers, in 20th, are only out of the League One bottom four on goal difference. They have enjoyed some impressive scalps including Oxford and Portsmouth in recent weeks. Monday’s visitors Plymouth currently sit one place and three points above Town in 16th – albeit having played three matches more.

Cotterill’s men have been 17th for much of the last three months despite their remarkable improvement and earlier surge up the table. They are looking to bounce back from a home defeat to Portsmouth with a first trip to Sixfields since 2018 tomorrow.

But assistant boss Wilbraham has confirmed that Shrewsbury, on 46 points and closing in on the landmark 50-point mark, will not take their foot off the gas with the end in sight and still have much to play for.

“To be honest with the gaffer, with what he’s like, he’d never let that happen with a group of players he’s managed,” Wilbraham said of his former Bristol City boss.

“I don’t think in any group of players that have been been managed by the gaffer that would ever happen.

“He will keep them going until the very end, even if there’s nothing to play for, and there’s still lots to play for for ourselves.

“We’re looking to win as many games as possible between now and the end of the season, that’s for sure.”

One target for Shrewsbury could be to eclipse former boss Sam Ricketts’ 15th-placed finish after last season was curtailed early due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

Fifteenth, which was worked out on a points-per-game average, was Town’s second-best finish – after Paul Hurst’s play-off campaign – since 1990.

And Shrewsbury, who are nine points off breaking into the top half, possess a number of games in hand on rivals.

“We want to do that,” Wilbraham said of achieving a finish that stands out among Town’s third tier campaigns of recent generations.

“We always looking to climb the table, we’re never happy with where we’re sat.

“That’s why we prepare properly for each game and keep the lads competitive in training, playing for places.

“And we’ll do that until the end of the season.”

Another ingredient in Town’s meaningful end to the campaign is the number of players fighting for their futures.

Around a dozen members of Cotterill’s first-team squad are out of contract in the summer, and with the boss watching on keenly from his iFollow stream, there is no room for taking it easy.

“Definitely,” Cotterill’s assistant added when asked about out-of-contract players looking to impress. “When you get to this stage of the season, players are always playing for their livelihoods at the end of the day.

“I was in that position a lot myself towards the latter end of my career, when you’re not sure what is around the corner.

“You have to keep working hard, keep a good attitude and the rewards come.”

Northampton, who dropped to bottom of the pile in the third tier in recent weeks, have improved of late under caretaker boss Jon Brady.

Australia-born Brady, 46, managed the Cobblers at under-16 and under-18 levels before filling the role left by Keith Curle after the latter was dismissed in February. The Cobblers have won three of their last seven and managed a handy point at Doncaster, a run that has breathed life into their fight to avoid the drop. They did, however, lose 1-0 at drop zone rivals AFC Wimbledon last time out, after missing a last-gasp penalty.

“They are a really hard-working team who have picked up some big results recently,” Wilbraham said.

“Every game in League One is going to be tough, it’s away from home and we’ve got to go with the same type of attitudes as with our recent away games and hopefully we get the right results.”