Debrief: One thing caught my eye in Shrewsbury Town’s Tranmere defeat

There’s a strong sense of deja vu about Shrewsbury Town’s defeat on the Wirral.

Just last month, Town lost at Prenton Park after spurning several chances. This time, they suffered the same fate.

Here are some talking points from Shrewsbury’s 1-0 defeat at Tranmere Rovers.

It happened again

It has been a recurring theme of Salop’s season. They have lacked the ruthlessness and cutting edge required to turn promising opportunities into victories.

Town created several meaningful chances and enough to warrant taking something from the game.

But despite the encouraging aspects, it was ultimately the same old story.

Salop failed to capitalise on their opportunities and were punished at the other end, leaving Prenton Park empty-handed once again.

Opportunity knocks

The competition often offers an opportunity for rotation. That is exactly what Gavin Cowan did.

Lino Sousa and Michael Golding came into the side for their first starts. Golding looked keen to get on the ball and showed some promising flashes, while Sousa endured a difficult evening, particularly after the break. A throw-in straight out of play rather summed up his night.

I had expected Byron Pendleton to perhaps make his first start, but that opportunity did not come. He did, though, show some encouraging moments after coming off the bench.

Youngsters impress

The biggest positive from the game was the performance of Town’s young players.

Despite another disappointing result, particularly in front of goal, Isaac England impressed in midfield, while Hugo Aiston provided plenty of energy after coming on and offered an outlet on the wing.

England’s passing was a particular highlight. He delivered several inviting crosses and played some excellent balls over the top for the forward players.

The teenager appeared to have a good awareness of his surroundings and showed impressive composure, epitomised by a sumptuous pass over the top for George Lloyd to run through on goal.

That chance!

Which leads me neatly on to… what a chance that was.

Our columnist Jamie Tolley was on radio commentary and admitted he had not got over the miss for some time afterwards. I - and no doubt plenty of supporters - felt the same.

Lloyd, fresh from scoring his first goal of the season at the weekend, found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. But he got it badly wrong.

His frustration afterwards showed he knew exactly what an opportunity it had been.

These are the chances Shrewsbury need to start taking. Other teams are capitalising on them, and Salop cannot afford to keep letting opportunities like this pass them by.

Goalkeeper debut

After returning to the club where he began his career, Cameron Gregory made his Shrewsbury debut.

On this evidence, Gavin Cowan has another capable goalkeeper option. Gregory made several assured claims and looked comfortable with the ball at his feet.

He was largely untested, though, and could do nothing about Tranmere’s goal, which came after a poor error and defensive lapse.

Absentees

Jay Turner-Cooke was one of three players to miss Saturday’s trip to Crewe Alexandra with a minor injury.

He was back on the pitch ahead of this one, completing running and ball-work drills and appearing to move freely. Josh Ruffels and Josh Davison were also present but did not train on the grass.