Gavin Cowan’s ‘yo-yo’ warning as Shrewsbury Town boss demands consistency

Gavin Cowan has told his Shrewsbury Town players to learn fast - insisting he is “not here to be part of a yo-yo team”.

Town return to Fleetwood Town less than two weeks after their EFL Cup drubbing on the Fylde Coast, looking for a response to their heavy League Two defeat at Rochdale in midweek.

With just one win from their opening four league games, Cowan has demanded greater consistency from his players.

“We need consistency, I’m not here to be part of a yo-yo team,” he said.

“I don’t want to be part of a struggling team. The whole idea is to punch above our weight and try and get in the mix. And you do that with consistency.”

He added: “I’m looking for reasons now, but it’s early in the season. We’ve got half a squad that’s still integrating. We’re just still gelling, still understanding my standards.

“But they’ve got to learn quick. They’ve got to learn quickly, because I’m not here to be part of anything yo-yo.

“I’m trying to turn the fortunes of the team around from recent years, and we’re not going to do it like that.”

Town have conceded 13 goals so far, including four at Fleetwood in the cup, while scoring just three.

Salop finished as League Two’s second-lowest scorers last season, and Cowan knows improving their goal return will be crucial if they are to climb the table.

Asked whether their scoring record is a concern, Cowan said: “For the forwards, it is. We’re scoring goals from set pieces.

“I’m having to refer to stats at the moment, I think we’re top of the league from shots on goal from set pieces. I think we're in the top three from XG.

“We’re certainly not in possession, but I think we’re around mid-table with possession. And then in terms of shots on goal, again, we’re right up there in the top five.

“We haven’t scored enough goals. Even tonight, as poor as we were, if you take your chances, we win the game.

“But in the big moments, to give away three goals, it just changes games, doesn’t it?”