Notts County v Shrewsbury preview: Salop still hunting first win

It has been all change off the pitch with director of football Micky Moore departing last week by mutual consent, so Town need to get their fans something good to smile about. 

They will have that chance when they make the journey to Meadow Lane this evening, in a game that has been pushed back a day thanks to the Trent Rockets’ cricket match on Tuesday evening against the Manchester Originals. 

Salop produced a positive first-half display against Colchester on Saturday, but they were undone in the second half after falling behind and dropping down to ten men after debutant Tommy McDermott was shown a straight red card for a lunge on Teddy Bishop. 

Every game is an opportunity, and they will want to get the ball rolling on their season sooner rather than later. 

It just so happens that right when Town really need something, they have what is on paper their hardest game of the season, based on last campaign’s finish. 

Of all the fixtures they have had so far, County finished the highest in the division last time out - they came sixth - missing out in the play-off final after being beaten by Wimbledon. 

But this season they have exactly the same record as Town, which may provide some comfort for Salop fans. 

They drew on their opening day at Newport, but since then they have lost back-to-back league games against Barrow and Salford, and they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the first round by Wigan. 

So both sides are out of sorts, and they will be going at it under the lights. The last time the two teams met at Meadow Lane was when Matt Taylor was still in charge of Shrewsbury. 

Town won 3-2 on a bitterly cold night in December thanks to a hat-trick from Ryan Bowman. The sides also met last year in the Carabao Cup, with the game finishing 3-3 in normal time before Shrews won 4-3 on penalties. 

Michael Appleton has a dilemma on his hands when it comes to finding a replacement for McDermott - he was Town’s best outfield player against Colchester until his sending off. 

You would expect Tom Sang to come back into the starting line-up, providing he is fit enough after rolling his ankle in training last week and missing the clash at the Croud Meadow at the weekend. 

The boss is now taking over off field dealings like transfers, alongside the chief executive Liam Dooley and the recruitment team. It is a position that he has done a lot in the past, and it should help Shrewsbury get through this tricky spell that they currently find themselves in.

On the horizon is another away trip to Swindon this weekend, with Salop having a shorter time to recover in between games. Swindon played Barnet last night. They are in good form too, having already picked up two wins in the league this season.