'I am well aware of it' - Gareth Ainsworth frustrated by early Shrewsbury habit

Salop head into their Boxing Day clash against Lincoln City at the Croud Meadow looking to build on the back of their 2-2 draw with Wigan last weekend. 

The Town boss has spoken openly about his desire to improve Shrewsbury from a defensive perspective. 

They have conceded the most goals in League One this season - shipping in 41 times in their 20 games. 

The problem runs deeper than that. In the last three matches, they have conceded in the first 15 minutes of the first half - they also have made a habit of letting goals in at the start of the second period. 

"We are trying to address the second half at the moment," Ainsworth admitted. "That is with what we do at half-time. "We have conceded a lot in the first 15 minutes of both halves. We're probably the worst team in the league, I'd say, definitely in the second half.

"We're trying to address this mentally with a few little techniques that we're doing in the dressing room and just before we kick off again.

"I am not going to give those away, but I am well aware of it. 

"I was gutted when Wycombe scored the other week because it was right on the 15th minute, and I was thinking we want to get through the first 15. 

"I want to challenge the boys to stay solid in games, and at Wigan, there are some fundamental errors in that first goal. We should be able to stop it." 

Salop started brightly in the game at The Brick Community Stadium before they switched off from a set piece and allowed Thelo Aasgaard to volley Wigan into the lead. 

They went in at half-time trailing by just one goal, but they were breached within eight minutes of the resumption when Dale Taylor slotted the ball beyond Jamal Blackman - after Town had carelessly given away possession of the ball. 

And Ainsworth says somehow they have got to find a solution for this issue but warned Town fans not to worry as he is 'all over that'. 

"We seem to be in games," he continued. "But we just have some errors at the wrong times.

"I'm trying to address that, whether that's personnel or whether that's getting the boys who are in the building to be better, but I am all over that, so don't worry about that."

Salop start Boxing Day at the foot of the League One table, but a positive result against the Imps could see them move up the league.