Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury ten game reviews: From leading the pack to faltering starts

Shrewsbury Town currently sit in the League One top ten after ten games for just the third time since being promoted back to League One in 2015.

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Steve Cotterill's men have enjoyed wins over Burton Albion, Exeter, Forest Green and Wycombe and are currently ninth with 15 points at the ten game stage.

Aside from Salop's stellar season under Paul Hurst in 2017/18, where they were beaten in the play offs - they have only been in this position just under a quarter of the way through the season on one other occasion.

Here is a look at how the Shrews have started in their previous seven League One campaigns.

2021/22

Last season it was a tough start for Cotterill's men as they lost their first four leagues - and were beaten in five out of the first six.

From their first ten games they won just two, drew two and lost six games, leaving them 21st with eight points.

20/21

In the previous season it was a similar story under Sam Ricketts with Salop sitting in the drop zone after just ten outings.

Salop drew three of the first four games and won just once in the first ten - leaving them with nine points.

Their run didn't improve and Ricketts was sacked in November - being replaced by Cotterill.

19/20

In Ricketts' first full campaign in charge he enjoyed superb start to the season - including four wins and four draws.

And they came in thrilling fashion, with a 3-2 win at Accrington Stanley and a 4-3 thriller at home to Southend United.

Form dropped though and Salop ended in 15th with the season cut short due to Covid-19.

18/19

Salop endured one of their worst starts to a recent campaign in 18/19 under John Askey, when they went seven games without a win.

A solitary win in the first ten games came against Southend United - but form didn't improve and Askey was replaced by Ricketts in November.

17/18

Salop fans will look back fondly on the 17/18 campaign - as they sat top of the pile after ten games.

Under Paul Hurst, Salop would win their first three games and after a draw to Oxford they then went on a four game winning run.

They went 15 games unbeaten at the start of the season - and lost just nine times over the course of the campaign.

16/17

In their second season back in League One - Mickey Mellon's Salop found it tough going.

They would be sitting in 22nd place after ten games, as they won just two in ten games.

That would go on to be two in 16 games, a run which would cost Mellon his job in October.

15/16

Back in their first campaign after promoted - Salop enjoyed a solid start for a promoted side.

They went five without a win at the start but wins over Blackpool, Barnsley and Southend left them in 16th place in a season where they would go on to avoid relegation by four points.