'Keep them away' says Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill in bid to extend mean defensive record

Town, 15th in League One, put their exemplary goals against figures to a stern test tomorrow as they head to third-placed MK Dons, who are the form team of the top four divisions on a 12-game unbeaten run.

Goalkeeper Marko Marosi last week racked up his and Town’s 14th league clean sheet of the season – a joint-best modern day individual record shared with Dean Henderson. Only three keepers have managed more.

Cotterill said Slovak Marosi would be the first to acknowledge his team-mates’ part in the record and that a key to Salop’s defensive focus is to shut off avenues to goal.

“It’s always a team effort,” Cotterill said. “There’s been times this season where Marko’s been beat and one of the defenders has cleared it off the line or got a block in.

“Or a time where the defenders haven’t got a block in and Marko’s pulled out an absolutely unbelievable save.

“It is a team one (effort) but we’ve got to always make it hard for the opposition to look at our goal.

“Because if, even at this level, you give the opposition too many looks at your goal they will end up scoring.

“For me, slightly, in the first half against Lincoln we gave them too many looks at our goal. Maybe the half-time change helped.

“At the end of the day we all want individual accolades, but Marko will be the first to say about the team in front of him.”

Marosi and Town have achieved three shutouts and victories on the spin. They have limited rivals to few efforts on goal.

A defensive resilience has been their backbone this season and their record of just 37 goals shipped in 40 games is only bettered by top two Rotherham and Wigan.

Cotterill’s men have conceded one fewer than third-placed hosts MK Dons, who trail leaders Rotherham by four points having played the same number of games.

Shrews travel boosted by the return of defender Tom Flanagan, who missed last week’s 1-0 win over Lincoln through international duty. Flanagan did not featured in Northern Ireland’s 1-0 defeat to Hungary, on the back of playing 90 minutes against Luxembourg.