Jamie Tolley: Shrewsbury Town must find a way to cope without Kian McMahon-Brown

There were plenty of encouraging performances across the Salop side, but McMahon-Brown stood out once more.

Quite simply, the more football he sees, the better Shrewsbury Town are.

He has the ability to change a game in a heartbeat. The skill, the instinct, the willingness to take players on - you cannot coach some of those qualities.

There is something wonderfully instinctive about the way he plays. At times, it is almost as though he is back in the schoolyard, playing football for the sheer joy of it.

And it is a joy to watch.

That is why his departure for international duty is such a blow, but it also presents an opportunity for somebody else to step up and fill the void. Whoever gets that chance has to embrace it.

Shrewsbury’s performance at Crewe certainly showed that there is plenty to build on.

The collective work was excellent. They pressed intelligently, worked as a unit and, crucially, prevented Crewe from playing the passing game they are renowned for.

It was the product of hard work on the training ground, detailed preparation and the players executing the game plan. Shrewsbury effectively smothered Crewe, particularly defensively, and for long periods the hosts simply could not find a way through.

A point away from home was a good result, although there will inevitably be a little frustration that it was not three.

When you create opportunities and have a number of efforts on goal, you want to come away with the full reward.

Nevertheless, this is another step in the right direction and, importantly, it builds on the home win over Northampton.

George Lloyd’s goal was another positive. For any striker, getting off the mark is hugely important. There is no feeling quite like seeing the ball hit the back of the net, particularly when you have been waiting for that moment.

Lloyd has had the added pressure of wearing the number nine shirt, too, and you could sense how much he needed that goal.

It was also a goal that summed up what he brings to the side.

He closes defenders down, he works tirelessly and he earned his reward. I am sure he would have given anything for the chance to roll that ball into an empty net and finally get that monkey off his back - and that is exactly what he did.

Now the hope is that it can be the catalyst for something more.

There have been some encouraging signs from Shrewsbury over the last couple of games - a comfortable home victory against Northampton followed by a point on the road.

Gavin has spoken about feeling a change around the training ground - a little click, a switch being turned on.

We are seeing this on matchdays. The challenge is to keep it going.

And Shrewsbury deserve plenty of credit for taking a point from Crewe despite being without three players who have been starters in Josh Davison, Josh Ruffels and Jay Turner-Cooke.

That is a significant hurdle to overcome. They did so impressively, but those absences also create opportunities for others.

If you are a fringe player waiting for your chance, you have to be ready to grab it with both hands when it arrives. You can wait weeks or months for an opportunity in the starting XI, and when it comes, it is up to you to make sure the manager has a difficult decision to make next time around.

I do feel for Turner-Cooke, though. He was just starting to put a run of games together and build his match fitness, so this is undoubtedly a setback. Hopefully it is only a temporary one and he can return fighting fit.