Dave Edwards: Brave calls, new faces and a moment of magic to lift Shrewsbury Town
There was relief all around the Meadow after victory in a high-pressure game that was a must-win for Michael Appleton.
Results had been going against him and his side in recent weeks, and defeat to Harrogate would have dumped Salop into the bottom two and made Appleton’s task extremely difficult.
Instead, his players came out fighting for him. The new signings made a big difference, and it is not the first time Town have delivered in big moments. Home wins against Newport County and Crawley Town were similar occasions when a result was needed, and in both games they delivered - keeping clean sheets in the process.
It was brave from Michael Appleton. I thought he rolled the dice with his 4-4-2 formation that included plenty of attacking players. For the majority of the game, Town were on the front foot, played with greater intent, and showed far more pace going forward - particularly down the left-hand side with Iwan Morgan.
Each of the new signings did extremely well and added something different to the Salop side. Appleton has been backed by the board to bring these players in, and while I was surprised to see Iwan Morgan on the left, you can see why he did it.
Every time he got the ball he was progressive - looking to run forward, take on the full-back, cut inside on his right foot and get shots away. I thought he was the best player on the pitch.
