Analysis: Dogged Shrewsbury Town fight back to deliver on the big stage

Except it is not really ironic or in the least bit surprising that, when it comes to Shrewsbury, they can raise themselves and deliver an against-the-odds display as a clear underdog and upset the applecart.

Town’s 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday’s brilliant and historic Hillsborough home makes it two draws on the spin and just one league defeat in four. Baby steps as Steve Cotterill’s men try to recover from a very poor start to the season.

Town’s staggering record at Hillsborough too, now unbeaten in nine league games at the home of the Owls, is no doubt one that the circa 1,000 travelling fans lauded all the way home – on a journey that took longer than it might have thanks to the M1 closure.

In the end, incredibly, it was Shrewsbury who probably felt hardest done to at 1-1, despite the difference between a chorus of boos echoing from the home end and the standing ovation and cheers offered from the away fans high up in the Leppings Lane end.

It could have, however, been so different. Not for the first time this season, Town were desperately poor starters and made to pay. Fortunately, this time, the early set-back did not prove terminal.

Saido Berahino – yes, he of West Brom fame – found it all too easy to head home a corner on his full Wednesday debut inside six minutes as Ryan Bowman and Matt Pennington rather got in each other’s way challenging for the ball. Cotterill’s comments about set-piece struggles being “lost in translation” were most interesting.

But a let-off was mainly thanks to an unlikely failure from 12 yards from the usually reliable and technically superb Barry Bannan.

The Owls stalwart, a former Villa midfielder and Scotland international, is a delight to watch and dictated much of the game. He should not be playing in League One and is his side’s standout talent – but his penalty on 22 minutes rolled the wrong side of Marko Marosi’s left-hand post.

For a man of his talent, his dead ball prowess and technical class, it was poor. For Town, it surely kept them in the game. It certainly felt like the contest’s turning point.

Until then it had been one-way traffic in the home side’s favour. Wednesday’s tails were up as they knocked it about and switched play with ease. The raucous crowd, who created a shattering noise with their ‘Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday’ cry ahead of kick-off, needed no more encouraging.

It could have been as many as 4-0 to Darren Moore’s hosts by the half-hour point in which Town found their feet.

The visitors’ equaliser, snuck in like any good poacher at the near post by Bowman, was not entirely against the run of play either.

It was as if Bannan’s miss from the spot had jolted Salop into life. Credit the excellent travelling fans, they continued to will their side on despite a worrying start.

Shrewsbury hadn’t really threatened the goal of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who is on loan from Burnley, but they had pushed up the field and were enjoying some possession in good areas. As soon as Wednesday began to play sloppy passes and come out on the wrong side of 50-50s, the Hillsborough crowd turned.

Town’s move for the goal was very well worked. Elliott Bennett, who had his best display since the opening weeks of the campaign, played an excellent one-two with the busy Shaun Whalley and his cross from the right byline appeared to deceive Peacock-Farrell and there was Bowman to turn in at the second attempt, and via the post, from about a yard out.

In front of the Kop End at Hillsborough, not a bad place for the 29-year-old to score a first goal for your new club and first goal in League One – 11-and-a-half years after his debut in the division.

Shrewsbury ended the first half the better side, but the roar of expectancy from the home stands was clear to hear after the interval.

Owls players, however, simply did not do enough. When Cotterill suggested Moore had an ‘embarrassment of riches’ for League One, he was spot on. The squad depth is frightening.

Still, all they could muster in the second half was an Olamide Shodipo goal incorrectly ruled off for offside. Bad luck, maybe, but the officials also missed that Bannan’s early corner for Berahino’s goal should have been a goal kick, so swings and roundabouts, perhaps.

The impressive Luke Leahy came close enough to winning it for Salop in front of a rampant away end.

Shrewsbury, being Shrewsbury, know how to come up trumps on the big stage. Now they return home for the less glamorous contests with AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe. Big games with wins required to lift them from 22nd, as the hunt for a clean sheet hunt goes on.