Matt Taylor gives Shrewsbury players key instruction as they look to bounce back from Blackpool loss

The Town head coach used emotive language to describe his side’s result saying it was ‘horrendous’ and that he and the players were devastated.

So when asked what he would like to see from his players in the clash against Port Vale today that he did not see last week, he said: “The biggest thing for me, that is our Achilles heel at this moment in time, are mistakes.

“That is what is costing us goals. So what do I want to see? I want to see the team run hard I want to see the team fight, I want them to be really principle-led and understanding (of what the coaches are asking of them), which they will do.

“I want to see them go out and express themselves. The good thing is even after such a horrendous result last weekend our home form is really good.

“But what you cannot do is keep giving teams a head-start and that will be my message to the players and then to go and implement the specific game plan that we give them for the weekend.”

As a general rule Town had been pretty good from a defensive perspective up to their impressive 1-0 victory over Derby at the Meadow towards the end of October.

But since then they have started to let in more and more goals with the team conceding at least two in each of the seven games since that victory. A lot of that has come down to individual mistakes Taylor says but is something that can be hard to control as a coach.

But the boss says if his players are making ‘honest’ mistakes then he has no problem as they are part of the game.

“What you go with is honest players who make honest mistakes, so then you have no problem,” he said.

“I played for as long as I did and I made big errors and big mistakes, so it is part of human nature.

“It is difficult because you see these players every day and they do not make those types of errors but the players this season, while every player in every team in every league will have made mistakes, if I look at it positively the players can go and perform.

“I have no issues with that, it is just now consistency, and that is what every team up and down the land will be striving for, consistency.”

Salop will have Nohan Kenneh and Max Mata back for today’s game after the pair missed out at Blackpool last weekend as they were on international duty.

And the Shrews head coach is pleased they will not have to navigate without the duo again until March – when the next international break is.

He said: “It is good to have the boys back in the building. It is always good when they are away.

“It is a huge honour for them and it is a big honour for us as a football club as well, but I have my selfish Shrewsbury Town hat on.

“I am over the moon we have got no more internationals until March.”