Shrewsbury v Oxford United - Match preview

Six takes them to the magic 50-point number which is said to secure survival - even though maybe in this current campaign you might not need that many.

But after almost two weeks away from football, Town are back in action this Good Friday as they welcome Oxford to the Croud Meadow.

When the pair met earlier in the campaign at the Kassam Stadium the home side ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

But since then, their manager Liam Manning has gone off to take charge of Bristol City, and Des Buckingham has come in to take over.

The U's form since the turn of the year has not been vintage by any means.

After winning their first two games of 2024, Oxford could only muster one win in their next 10 League One games and although they have won two out of the last three, their form has been pretty unpredictable.

However, like Town, they have much still to play for, as they hang on to the sixth, and final play-off spot by a single point with Stevenage breathing down their necks.

So Buckingham's side cannot afford to slip against Town who are in reasonable form themselves after coming through an enormous week with a points total of six from a possible nine.

The players, aside from those who played against Kidderminster Harriers in a behind-closed-doors friendly, have had some time off to be able to re-charge their batteries before the final leg of what has been a gruelling season.

Salop do have one of the harder run-ins. This game is followed by a visit to Bristol Rovers on Bank Holiday Monday, and they also have to make trips to places like Portsmouth and Bolton in the final stages of the campaign - two sides who are going for automatic promotion.

So on paper, this is one of the games out of the seven remaining Town would hope to try and get something from with it being at home - along with games against Wycombe and Leyton Orient.

It is important Shrewsbury try to get the points they need as soon as possible as they will not want to get dragged into a scramble and they will want to go into their final few games knowing their League One safety is secure.

After that, it is about planning for next season for Paul Hurst. The Town boss has a job on his hands to build a squad capable of competing next season with several high-profile players out of contract in the summer. It is set to be an intriguing end to the season - one way or another.