Shrewsbury Town boss reveals overwhelming feeling after digging in for fine win

Shrewsbury Town boss Gavin Cowan revealed his pride in his team after they registered a dramatic nine-man win against Bristol Rovers, taking their recent run to 11 points from the last six league games.

A breathtaking finale to the contest saw Shrewsbury take the lead through a George Lloyd penalty before red cards for Jay Turner-Cooke and Isaac Fletcher made for a nerve-jangling conclusion.

But Shrewsbury were resolute and well organised and deservedly hung on without too many problems to claim all three points.

At full-time Cowan gathered his players in a huddle in the centre circle, revealing he didn’t want to wait until reaching the dressing room to pass on his congratulations.

“First and foremost, I am so proud of the players for their attitude and application, and how hard they worked,” he said.

“We made it a bit of a cornerstone today because we have been both on the right side and the wrong side of results, but our performances have been consistent.

“We need to be on the right side of the fine lines and today we did that and have now picked up three wins and two draws from our last six games.

“Everything that we asked the players to do they delivered, and I didn’t get them in the centre circle for show, I just couldn’t wait until we got to the dressing room to tell them how full my heart was and how proud I am.

“When you look at some of the players, Boyley hasn’t trained all week and could barely walk yesterday but was adamant he was playing and Sam Stubbs has been managing his body to make sure he got to the game.

“When you think about how connected the group are, how together we all are, how good the training ground is, I think they know that there is something there.

“I am really proud that our football club is having moments like this and when you see how the crowd was, it’s a moment that I won’t forget and I know the players won’t either.

“So, what I said in the circle was also to enjoy the moment with the fans, to be part of them and connect with them and make sure they appreciated what has been a brilliant day.”

In terms of the contentious incidents, the award of the penalty for a foul on Will Boyle seemed less clear-cut than the one not given in the first half for a challenge on Lloyd.

It was Salop’s first penalty in 69 league games, then followed by the two red cards which made for such a nervy finale.

“I’m not actually sure about the penalty that we got, and maybe because of how long it had been the first one we got was going to be like that!” admitted Cowan.

“But the one in the first half was definitely a penalty, and I think that’s four in the last four games that have been stonewall.

“In terms of the red cards, I haven’t seen the second one (Fletcher) back yet – it felt a bit soft but I have spoken to the referee and he said it was late and high so I have to respect that.

“For Cookie, it’s a sending off. He was trying to get back in and has taken one for the team really.

“Part of me is upset that he has been sent off and part of me is that sometimes you need to put the team ahead of yourself.

“At a critical stage he has decided to do that and as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone, he has put the team ahead of himself.

“It’s disappointing to have two players sent off but we were resolute as we were all game and managed to see it out.”