Will Boyle urges Shrewsbury Town to "reset" and push on after survival

Boyle powered home the decisive winner against Oldham Athletic to help Salop officially retain their Football League status last Saturday.

It means their final three matches of the season will be played without the stress and threat of relegation, and Boyle has now urged Town to use the opportunity to build towards next season.

Asked if they will now be looking to finish strongly and gather momentum, the defender said: “Yes, 100 per cent.

“Today's a relief, but we have to reset now. It gives us a chance to look at next season, prepare for it, try and develop the process that's been put in place so far, and do that with a little bit more freedom, with the job being done.

“Ultimately, we need to be professional and we’re not going to do anything that we haven’t done to get to this stage. But can we develop the process a little bit more?”

Salop currently hold a 14-point gap to the relegation zone and could finish as high as 15th in the table.

Boyle, whose goal was his fourth of the season, joined his team-mates and coaching staff in a full-time lap of honour at the Meadow last weekend, celebrating their achievement with the jubilant Salop faithful.

Summing up the emotions, Boyle added: “Relief. It's been a long, tough season with a lot of downs, a lot of disappointment, a lot of performances where we felt we could have been better.

“So to secure the safety of the club in the Football League, and people's jobs and that everybody can start looking towards next season with clarity as to what we're going to be getting revenue wise etc.

“It's important and I'm delighted for everyone at the club.”

When boss Gavin Cowan arrived in late January, Salop were just two points above the relegation zone and facing the very real prospect of dropping out of the EFL.

However, he has overseen a strong revival and climb up the table.

Boyle admitted there were fears during the earlier stages of the season, adding: “We’re all human. Everyone says they don’t look at the table, but I’m pretty sure 95 per cent of people do.

“We knew the position we were in in January, and at that stage it’s tough - you don’t know where the next win’s coming from. Confidence is tough to pick up at that point.

“If we thought from there to where we are now, with the points tally we’ve picked up, I think we’d have snapped your hand off, to be honest.”