Shrewsbury 0 Fleetwood 3 - Report
Shrewsbury suffered a third successive defeat after a frustrating loss at home to Fleetwood - where they played more than 70 minutes with 10 men.
It was the third time in a week a Town player had been sent off, and it gave them an uphill battle to get anything from the game which finished 3-0.
Matthew Pennington was the man penalised for a handball on the line after 20 minutes.
Town were punished twice over, with referee Ross Joyce sending the defender off and awarding a penalty for the offence, which was converted by Admiral Muskwe.
Three minutes later, things got worse for Town when Promise Omochere latched onto a loose ball in the box to get Fleetwood's second of the afternoon.
There was not much good news for Steve Cotterill, as Tom Flanagan hobbled off early in the clash with a knock he picked up in the first few minutes of the game.
Town tried their best to get back into the game in the second half, but they had a mountain to climb being down to 10 and trailing by two.
The second half looked to be petering out at 2-0, but Chey Dunkley deflected a Josh Vela shot into his own net in the closing stages to further insult to injury.
Analysis
Shrewsbury arrived at the Meadow in search of a win to get back on track after disappointing results against Cambridge and Cheltenham.
Killian Phillips was not able to make his Town debut despite signing earlier in the week on loan from Crystal Palace, due to EFL registration rules. The midfielder was a welcome addition to the Town squad to give them more strength and depth ahead of a busy schedule early in 2023.
They were boosted by news Luke Leahy had his red card against Cheltenham overturned after the club launched a successful appeal.
Shrewsbury have been riddled with injuries over the last few months, and the boss has very limited options to change his starting XI, so it was not surprising when the boss named the same team that started in their 1-0 defeat to Cheltenham.
The players on Town's bench were mainly young players or senior professionals coming back from injury.
Salop deserved much more than they got in those two previous to encounters, but they failed to capitalise on several good chances.
Before kick-off, the club paid their respect to Town supporters who had passed in 2022, and to footballing icon Pele, who passed away on Thursday.
The opening 15 minutes was a really stop-start affair, firstly Tom Flanagan went took a knock on his hip, and had to receive treatment, and then Lewis Warrington took a blow to the face which required the physio's attention.
Unfortunately for Town, Flanagan was unable to continue, and Elliott Bennett came on to replace him.
And in the 18th minute, the complexion of the game changed, as Shrewsbury got their third red card in the space of a week.
Shaun Rooney's fierce strike struck Matthew Pennington on the line, and referee Ross Joyce adjudged the defender of deliberate handball and sent him off whilst awarding Fleetwood a penalty.
Muskwe sent Marosi the wrong way and gave the visitors the lead.
And it got worse for Town three minutes later as Scott Brown's men doubled their lead when Omochere latched on to a loose ball in Salop's box after Shaun Rooney's long throw.
Shrews did settle, and they tried to get on the front foot, but it was always going to be challenging for Cotterill's men with a man less.
He turned to his bench just after the game resumed with Tom Bloxham coming on for Tom Bayliss.
Town saw a lot of the ball, but Fleetwood, who seemed to take their foot off the gas, looked dangerous on the counterattack.
The only real goal-mouth action was when Marosi saved a scuffed Josh Vela shot midway through the half.
Cotterill went to his bench again, this time introducing Rekeil Pyke for Rob Street.
But it was Fleetwood who went closest when Danny Andrew got in down Town's right and hit a crunching strike against the post from more the 25 yards out.
And to make matters worse for Town Fleetwood added a third in the closing stages when Dunkley deflected an effort from former Salop man Josh Vela into the net.
Teams
Shrews: Marosi, Dunkley, Pennington, Flanagan (Bennett 18mins), Winchester, Leahy, Bayliss (Bloxham 53), Shipley, Moore, Saydee, Street.
Subs: Burgoyne, O'Brien, Pyke, Barlow, Bailey.
Fleetwood: Lynch, Andrew, Sarpong-Wiredu, Vela, Muskwe, Warrington, Omochere (Mendes Gomes 83), Hayes (Morton 65), Nsiala, Rooney (Johnston 57), Earl.
Subs: Stolarczyk, Mendes Gomes, Morton, Garner, Garner, Batty, Johnston.
