'No lap of honour' - Boss staying cool on Shrewsbury Town resurgence

Gavin Cowan has declared there will be no “laps of honour” over Shrewsbury Town’s improving form.

Town have won three of their last four League Two fixtures and climbed up to eighth in the table ahead of Saturday’s trip to Rotherham.

But while Cowan says the resurgence is no shock, following a start which saw them win just one of the first five matches, the boss is by no means getting carried away, warning plenty of hard work still lies ahead.

“I understand everyone gets emotional around results,” he said.

“I was not getting downbeat earlier in the season when I knew we were rebuilding. I am certainly not getting overexcited now.

“We are 12 games into the season and it is important to keep equilibrium around performances.

“No-one is running for the hills just yet. No-one is doing a lap of honour. It is 12 games gone and it shows a lot of progression since we first came in.

“I think that comes down to a culture and being connected and the players buying into that.”

Cowan, who had never previously managed outside non-league, was appointed in January when the club were at very real risk of relegation.

After saving them from the drop, he now wants to push on again and change the “rhetoric” around Croud Meadow after several years of underachievement.

He explained: “We don’t want it to be ‘woe is us’ or ‘same old Shrewsbury’.

“I have no time for that negativity. I am not here for anything other than success and legacy and my players know that.

“I am here because I wanted to stick my neck out in what was a real risky job for me as a person and a professional.

“But the love of the club, the debt to the chairman I felt a long time ago, the affection with the fans.

“They all played a part in me coming here. We are here because we want to change things not just in a week but over a period of time.”