Debrief: Why Shrewsbury Town can take positives despite Gillingham setback

October was, by and large, a month to remember for Shrewsbury Town - even if it ended on a sour note.

Impressive away victories at Grimsby Town and Crawley Town, coupled with a fine home win over Bristol Rovers, made for an encouraging few weeks.

But football rarely follows a perfect script, and Saturday brought an unwelcome twist as former boss Gareth Ainsworth returned to haunt his old club. Here are the key talking points…

Dark arts

There were no post-match complaints from Gavin Cowan, but Gillingham certainly showed they knew how to play the game as they frustrated Shrewsbury and ultimately left with all three points.

There was no shortage of physicality, niggle and gamesmanship, with the visitors displaying that streetwise edge needed to grind out a result.

They also needed a slice of fortune, with the ball dropping kindly off the crossbar for their winner. It was by no means a disastrous performance from Town, who had their moments, but sometimes football simply does not go your way.

Signs of progression

Perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay Shrewsbury right now is that supporters - and those of us covering their games - are starting to turn up expecting a result.

That speaks volumes about the progress Salop have made, the results they have put together in recent weeks and the work Gavin Cowan has done.

The improvement is there for all to see. Town are taking games to their opponents, competing, creating chances and getting efforts away on goal.

Friedel factor

Watching on once again was a familiar American face - and perhaps another indication that a takeover at Shrewsbury is edging closer.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who is set to become a director should Scott Davidson’s consortium complete its proposed takeover, was in attendance for the second successive match.

The former Tottenham and Liverpool stopper will no doubt be keeping a close eye on developments at the Croud Meadow, although he was unable to witness a repeat of the result from Town’s previous outing.

Friedel will, however, have been encouraged by the recent upturn in results and performances, which had seen Salop climb the League Two table.

It remains incredibly tight, though. Victory on Saturday would have lifted Town into the play-off places. Instead, defeat saw them slip to 15th - a reminder of just how quickly fortunes can change in this division.

Lloyd’s return

Making his return from a nasty neck injury, George Lloyd found it difficult to make a real impression on the contest.

Clear-cut opportunities were limited for the striker, who struggled to get much change out of the Gillingham defence. He did, however, dispatch his penalty confidently to give Town a foothold in the game.

There was a warm reception from the home supporters when he was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark, having felt his injury again.

Wing-back selection

Gavin Cowan made a change to his wing-back selection, restoring Luca Hoole to the starting line-up in place of Arkell Jude-Boyd.

The Town boss explained that, with another international break approaching, during which Jude-Boyd is likely to be away on duty with Saint Lucia, he wanted to build some consistency into his side ahead of that period.