Dave Edwards: Shrewsbury Town must learn to suffer away from home to end woes
It was another disappointing away day for Shrewsbury Town. A chastening defeat at MK Dons meant Salop were unable to build on the momentum of their crucial win against Harrogate Town.
I was hoping the confidence gained from that result would carry through and allow them to at least stay in the game. Nobody was realistically expecting Shrewsbury to go to MK Dons and win - just to make it competitive and difficult. Instead, much like the Wolves cup tie, the contest was effectively over by half-time.
That will be hugely frustrating for Michael Appleton. One thing that surprised me was the decision to stick with the same tactical setup. I had a feeling he might do so after the success against Harrogate, but MK Dons away is a completely different challenge to playing Harrogate at home - particularly against a side reduced to 10 men.
I felt they needed three midfielders. If you are going to play with a back four, you need legs and numbers in the middle of the pitch.
MK Dons are a very good footballing side and Stadium MK is a huge pitch. That extra space plays right into their hands, particularly in transition. Shrewsbury looked vulnerable whenever they attacked because when moves broke down, MK Dons were able to exploit the space quickly and hurt them with ease.
I was surprised Appleton stuck with the same system. I understand how difficult it is to change things after a big win - you want to keep momentum and reward players - but this felt like a game that required more caution and a more defensively-minded approach just to give yourself a foothold.
