Steve Cotterill wants Shrewsbury fans to play a part and bring the noise

Six of Salop’s last eight League One matches have been on the road, and it has almost been a month since they beat Morecambe 3-1 at the Meadow.

And the boss has called for the Salop faithful to ramp up the noise as his side returns home – something they need given the injury problems they have to contend with. He said: “It’s our turn at home now, for our stadium to be vocal and noisy. And I want the lads to feel the energy and the enthusiasm coming from the stands.

“I think that is important. I think they need that bit of help.”

And the boss has not been pleased with the way fixtures have turned out for Salop.

“The home form has been good,” he continued. “It’s only the recent form away that has dipped a little bit and last week compounds it.

“But I don’t think the fixtures have been kind to us with how they have fallen.

“After the weekend, we will have had seven out of 10 games away in this league, and wherever you go they are difficult games.

“To have so many on the road isn’t fair and doesn’t break it up.

“It doesn’t help but we prepare as much as we can.

“We train at the right times down to the last hour, what we are going to eat, when we are going to eat it.

“But it doesn’t help if you go down to Charlton, you leave (on the bus) at 12 o’clock, and you get there at 7 pm.

“All the preparation you do, how can you legislate for seven hours stuck on a motorway – you can’t. It’s just something you have to take on the chin. But it is an important part of the prep, not for the players, they are told what time to turn up, what time they have to eat and what time they have to train.

“But there is a fair bit of planning that goes into all of it.

“I suppose this week, all we have to plan for this week is turn up – not only at 3pm but to turn up on time, what time they have got to be there and go out and play at home.

“There is something in the remaining eight games that we have got five of them at home.”

Meanwhile, the Salop boss has also provided an update on the fitness of Matthew Pennington and Rekeil Pyke.

Pennington went off with a head injury last week but has recovered and will be available to play, but Pyke, who has an Achilles problem, is set to miss out.

He said: “He is going to be okay, Matthew.

“He didn’t train in the early part of the week. But he is okay, he has trained the last two days, and he will be okay thankfully.

“There is not really any update (on Pyke). Achilles tendons are notoriously slow healers just because the blood supply in the tendon is poor.

“It’s the same as anyone who has suffered from tennis elbow.

“You think tennis elbow ‘that’s alright.’ But if you ever have tennis elbow, it’s one of the most painful things ever.

“And Achilles tendonitis is really, really, tough to get that one to heel quickly so Ricky won’t be available this week.”