Steve Cotterill praises Shrewsbury's effort in Portsmouth draw

Salop were up against it all week in the lead-up to the game with the boss unsure if he had 10 senior fit players available for him to select from.

Matthew Pennington did not play in the game against Pompey, and Tom Flanagan who had been a doubt all week only just passed fit to play.

Of the Cotterill six subs, none of the outfield players had made a senior League One appearance between them and so given the circumstances it was a brilliant result for Shrews and the boss was proud of the players.

"It was an incredible effort by the boys," he said about the draw against Pompey.

"We had 10 fit senior players going into today, and the 11th one Tom Flanagan should never have played today.

"Huge credit to Tom, and huge credit to the lads really.

"I thought they were incredible as it is easy to give up before the game when you look, and no disrespect to the young boys, but I thought they were brilliant to a man today."

Town were bright all game and they deservedly took the lead in the 52nd minute when Rob Street brilliantly headed beyond Matt Macey.

It was after good work from Elliott Bennett and Luke Leahy on the left side.

Bennett put in a wonderful cross for the Crystal Palace loanee to get his third goal of the season.

They looked set to earn all three points but they were pegged back in the 82nd minute when Marlon Pack headed beyond Marko Marosi from a corner.

Cotterill was delighted for Street who has had a difficult few weeks.

He said: "Brilliant for him. He has lost his grandad in the last couple of weeks who has had a massive impact on his life. he took him to games when he was a kid.

"He has had quite a bad upset there really and everyone is so pleased for him in the dressing room.

"I had a grandad I adored, so I have huge sympathy for him. He is just a top top boy.

"The biggest compliment, I could ever pay him, and not that my daughter's partners are not great anyway as I really like them.

"But if your daughter came home with Rob Street you would think 'that will do for me'.

"That is the biggest compliment I could pay him because my daughters are so precious to me.

"I am just so pleased for him, and so is everyone else and what a great goal by the way. We had a chance just after that which would probably have put the game to bed with Killian (Phillips) and their keeper made a good save.

"And then we have probably just made a couple of mistakes really for the goal. I thought their effort was magnificent."