Debrief: Mountain too steep again for Shrewsbury Town in Colchester United defeat
Once again, Shrewsbury Town were left with a mountain to climb at the break as their away-day woes continued at Colchester United.
Salop were undone early once more, conceding inside the opening minutes before Arthur Read doubled the hosts' lead with a stunning long-range strike that flew into the top-right corner. No goalkeeper was stopping that effort.
It was another disappointing afternoon on the road for Town, who suffered a fifth consecutive away defeat in League Two. Here are the key takeaways.
Familiar feeling
By 5pm on Saturday, it had been 154 days since Shrewsbury last tasted victory away from home in the league.
Upon his arrival, head coach Gavin Cowan referenced the drubbing at MK Dons, where Salop trailed 3-0 at half-time. While there were differences in performance at Colchester, the similarities were hard to ignore - once again, Town had it all to do after the interval.
Shrewsbury spent large spells camped in Colchester’s territory but were unable to significantly test the goalkeeper or turn pressure into clear chances.
Cowan's predecessor repeatedly stressed the importance of scoring first in away matches, and that issue continues to haunt Salop. They have gone behind early at Walsall, Cheltenham, MK Dons and now Colchester, leaving a goal-shy side chasing games.
Shrewsbury have conceded a league-high 34 goals away from home and boast the joint second-worst away scoring record with just 12 goals. Not pretty reading.
Direct approach
In the first period much of their play was direct, looking to go over the top for George Lloyd and John Marquis.
Marquis struggled for the pace needed to get onto the balls in behind, while Lloyd was often crowded out wide when he did manage to latch onto them, unable to work the ball into dangerous areas.
Mal Benning delivered a number of sweeping crosses into promising positions, but time and again they were met by blue-and-white shirts.
The second half saw a slight shift as there were more openings out wide. Ismeal Kabia worked tirelessly, making amends after he was beaten on the byline for Colchester's opening goal.
Iwan Morgan provided a creative spark that had been missing in the first period. He ran at defenders, cut inside, took shots on and forced the goalkeeper into action.
Clucas injury concern
Sam Clucas' run of starting every League Two match for Shrewsbury this season now looks in doubt.
The experienced midfielder had started all 29 league games, recently moved into a deeper, sitting role by Cowan after spending much of the campaign at left wing-back.
But his afternoon ended after just 18 minutes when he was forced off with what Cowan confirmed was a hamstring issue - a blow the head coach admitted could be significant.
His absence was compounded by Sam Stubbs missing the trip with a minor knee injury. While Shrewsbury defended reasonably well overall despite conceding twice, Stubbs' role in the resilience shown against Barnet was clearly missed.
January arrivals
Kevin Berkoe, Cowan's only signing of the January transfer window, featured in the second half and showed the energy he can bring.
However, as was the case in Cowan's first match in charge, several other January arrivals were left out. Trey Ogunsuyi, Temple Ojinnaka and Isaac Lee were all absent.
Cowan appears to be leaning on experience as he looks to arrest Town's slide, describing his squad as "bloated".
Shrewsbury's away form remains their Achilles heel - and with three successive home games to come, Salop will hope the Meadow can once again provide the platform for a revival.
