Gavin Cowan welcomes breather after 'hectic' first month at Shrewsbury Town
Gavin Cowan welcomed a free week on the training ground for Shrewsbury Town after a "hectic" first month in charge.
Boss Cowan has overseen five wins from his opening eight matches, lifting Salop 11 points clear of the League Two relegation zone.
For the first time since the start of last month, Shrewsbury have no midweek fixture.
Asked whether he welcomed the break following their loss to Walsall, Cowan said: "It's chicken and the egg, really. When you're winning and there's momentum, there's a loss today, so you want to get back to it as quick as possible.
"But, we've been in a month. The lads have taken on a lot of detail. Sometimes it needs to sort of embed itself in their brain.
"We do play very strategically, we do try and predict the future in games, and they've done it excellently. Even in parts today.
"Ultimately, a rest comes a good time for the lads. We'll give them their energy back, and then they'll be bang on it, ready for the Chesterfield game.
He added: "It's been a hectic month. They've played a lot, a lot of games.
"It's a big effort from the lads. I know they've paid to do it. But they're only human.
"They deserve their rest. We'll really hit the ground running. They deserve a really good opportunity just to recover so we can come back and be the best version of ourselves."
Shrewsbury were unable to secure a sixth consecutive victory as their winning streak was halted by local rivals Walsall.
Despite the setback, Cowan praised the home supporters for their backing.
"It's important that we don't get emotional with results," he added. "The fans, we made a point of making sure that we celebrate with them like we do when we win.
"For them to not get the points that we'd hoped for and what they'd paid their money for, but to still stand there after and be clapping the players, they were just absolutely extraordinary.
"Yes the result is the important thing, but if you give everything for these fans, they'll give everything back.
"I know it hurts. The players are hurting. It's three points that we would have liked to have taken.
"It was a month ago, my first game against Barnet, just to see the transition around the club. Everybody plays a part in that.
"If we're going to take any positives, it would be the fact that we've stuck together. We'll take our licks and we'll move on. We can't get emotional because we've got 11 games to go."
