Charlton v Shrewsbury preview: Refreshed Salop are back and gunning for the top ten

Salop, who have been without a game for two weeks following the postponement of their home clash against Bristol Rovers, currently sit 10th in League One, nine points off the top six with nine games to go.

Six of those games are against sides above them in the table, but Flanagan believes a top 10 finish is the ‘bare minimum’ and anything less will feel like they have come up short’.

He said: “We have done a bit of hard work this week which will put us in good stead not just for this week, but to finish off the season strong like we want to do.

“You are kind of ticking the games off now in respect of getting through them and doing well and getting the performances that we want.

“We just want to finish strong and not just peter out. We don’t want to have any dead-rubbers at the end of the season, there is nothing worse than that.

“I think as a group of who we have in the dressing room this year, I think as a group we’ll struggle with dead-rubber games if it comes to that, and we don’t want it to come to that.

“So we want to go into the last game of the season with something to play for, that is important for us.

“If it doesn’t go well we definitely won’t be finishing in the top half.

“I think the top 10 is the bare minimum that the dressing room will accept, and I don’t think that is something anyone wants to do.

“But we are playing tough games and if the luck is against us and that happens, then I think in the dressing room we will come away thinking we have fallen short rather than we have done well.

“That is just the mentality of the group.”

A week away from action allowed Salop’s players an extended break – with boss Steve Cotterill giving his squad three days off before returning to prepare for the trip to the capital.

And the Salop boss is hoping his side benefit from the extra time off ahead of a run of nine games in the final five weeks of the season.

He said: “I think we’re refreshed. We’ve had a really good week this week.

“We’ll finish it off tomorrow with the final bit of our prep for Charlton.

“It’s funny because at the time, you’re really disappointed to have the game called off. But I’m hoping that we benefit from it because they’ve looked really good in training this week, really sharp and really refreshed.

“At the back end of last week, the players had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. It was a good opportunity for a few of them to go and see their family.

“Carl Winchester was able to go home. Robert Street, Christian Saydee and Taylor Moore as well.

“It was quite important for a few of them to have a break. Sometimes you don’t realise it, but I do think it was good for us to have a little bit of a break.”