Accrington Stanley v Shrewsbury preview: Cotterill insists Stanley will be tough nut to crack

Steve Cotterill’s side have been brilliant since the turn of the year, taking 19 points from the last 21 available – scoring 16 goals and just conceding four in the last seven games.

Ahead of the clash at Wham Stadium, the boss said Taylor Moore’s injury may not be as bad as first feared. That does not mean he will definitely be available, but when he went off in the 72nd minute of their clash with Exeter with a groin problem it looked ominous.

Matthew Pennington is still a doubt with his head injury, but Tom Flanagan is set to return after the defender served his two-match suspension for picking up 10 yellow cards.

Tom Bayliss and Killian Phillips have been brilliant in recent weeks, Bayliss has shown his ability to run with the ball and Phillips has demonstrated his athleticism, the Crystal Palace loanee got his first Town goal last weekend in the 3-2 win over Port Vale.

The Town boss is pleased with the resilience his side have shown but he also says it is something they must show if they want to be a successful side.

He said: “Any good team has got to have that resilience. Any good team. You will see the teams above us have good resilience.

“You have got to have that because it’s not going to be great games that you’re going to be involved in every week.

“You have to show that mental toughness to stop the ball going into the back of your net.

“And you have to try really, really, hard at the things you have worked on to make sure you get it in the back of their net.

“I think resilience is just one thing that a good, successful, football team needs.”

If Shrewsbury do have ambitions of getting into the play-offs then a win would be most welcome as they trail sixth-placed Barnsley, who are in great form, by five points.

The hosts have not won in the league since the middle of January when they were 2-0 victors over Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers.

They are inside the relegation places, and they trail 20th-placed MK Dons by two points, but the Town boss says despite Accrington’s position they will be a ‘tough nut to crack’.

He said: “It’s funny because whilst they are down there this season and people are moaning about injuries and all of that.

“I think Jon has had a really tough job there this year because they have picked up a lot of injuries to their defenders.

“They will probably have a couple of them back on Saturday. And maybe another midfield player.

“But they have been through a lot of injuries this year.

“Whilst they are not as high up in the league as they have been in previous years, they are still a tough nut to crack.”