A tough start that is only getting tougher for Shrewsbury
Tuesday evening was as bad as it could have got for Shrewsbury Town.
Losing the game to Fulham's under-21s after putting out a full-strength team is one thing – but the injury to captain Carl Winchester rubbed salt into the wounds.
It is fair to say it has been a far-from-ideal start to the season for Salop.
They remain pointless in League One and have the prospect of a difficult trip to Huddersfield on the horizon this weekend.
They are also missing several first-team players. Morgan Feeney, Josh Feeney, George Nurse and Jordan Rossiter are all out for different lengths of time and Winchester has now been added to that list.
Ultimately, there is not a great deal of value placed on the EFL Trophy.
Shrews have not done well in it for the last three seasons and qualifying out the group stages would most likely give Paul Hurst even more headaches with even more games to prepare for.
It is the overall picture that looks daunting for Town and their supporters. Four games into the season, they have lost three and drawn one – which they ended up winning on penalties.
In that time they have conceded 10 goals which is an issue they need to sort out and fast.
That will not be solved with personnel changes, as Shrews do not have any.
The first goal they conceded against Fulham was fairly unfortunate. A shot from distance took a massive deflection and looped over Toby Savin's head and into the net.
But the second was a poor one to let in. Second-half substitute Lemar Gordon picked up on a through ball that went through the legs of Toto Nsiala from Joshua King.
Luca Hoole was the wrong side of Gordon and he could not stop him from finishing beyond Savin.
After some questionable defending against Peterborough on Saturday it was the complete opposite of what Town's defenders wanted to demonstrate.
And now, they have an even tougher task when they play the Terriers this weekend.
At the end of last season, Hurst made his Shrewsbury side very competitive against the top sides in League One.
They went to Bolton and got a point, which confirmed their survival, they then did the same against Charlton a few days later.
The home clash against Leyton Orient a week later is already looking like a huge game in the context of the season. The division is very competitive this season.
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