Gareth Ainsworth sends defiant message to Shrewsbury fans

The loss leaves Salop seven points adrift from safety with 13 league games remaining this season.

Fellow strugglers Burton Albion, Cambridge United, and Peterborough United - who Town visit next Saturday - all secured vital wins in their own battles for safety.  

But, despite the result, Shrewsbury head coach Gareth Ainsworth insisted that their season is far from done and spoke of his commitment to the club.

“I know the other teams have won around us, and that it looks bad, but that is football and there are loads of twists and turns to come yet,” he said.

“To lose by one goal in each game is tough to take but it just shows how far we have gone as a team.

“I know we have improved and nobody can start saying it is doom and gloom, I just won’t have it. We are better than we were, and if that isn’t good enough then it isn’t good enough.

“I have come here to improve them, and in the long run, give me some time, I’ll make this club very good.

“It is tough sometimes and there are some teams with some tough runs. We have three defeats on the spin, we can’t hide from that.

“It wasn’t our day and that happens. We need seven good days, I know that and if we can get them then we will be in this league next year, and if we don’t then we will be in it the year after because I will make sure that we are positive next season.

“Either way I am happy, but I want to stay in this league, I want to grow.

“That is what I came here for and I want to get these players believing, which they do, we just didn’t get the quality together.”

Aaron Pierre’s own goal inside the opening ten-minutes separated the sides. 

It is likely that Town came away from the game feeling hard done by too - as Ainsworth said he did after the Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town games - after hitting the woodwork twice and having penalty appeals waved away.

Shrewsbury’s head coach has ample experience in relegation battles after his time managing Wycombe Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers.

And, Ainsworth is leaning on his previous experiences to give him confidence. 

“At QPR and Wycombe we were in relegation battles and managed to get out of them both times,” he added.

“I know what I can do and believe firmly that I can finish above four teams this season. 

“It is just when we start getting these wins together hopefully we can go on a run and get above it.”