Ollie Westbury comment: First win was great, but Shrewsbury Town need more

In a season of low points, Shrewsbury produced their best performance of the campaign more than a week ago when they beat Birmingham City at the Croud Meadow, in a clash that will stick with Town fans for a long time.

The atmosphere in Shropshire has improved, and there is finally some optimism around after progress has been made on and off the field. But there must be caution.

On the pitch, Town have been in this position before in 2024.

Think back to January when Paul Hurst took the reigns for the first time against Northampton.

His first game saw Shrewsbury produce a stunning performance to beat the Cobblers 2-0, thanks to goals from Dan Udoh and Chey Dunkley.

Salop were good value for the three points that day, and so many comparisons can be drawn to Gareth Ainsworth's first game in charge.

One of the differences though is the quality of the opposition - Birmingham is a sterner test than Northampton.

Yet those supporters left Sixfields Stadium with the same optimism most fans feel right now, but it did not quite pan out the way many expected.

It was misplaced and false hope as Town went on to win just one of their next seven matches.

On that occasion Shrewsbury started in a healthier position too - they were not in the bottom four, whereas this time around they are five points adrift - albeit that can change very quickly in football.

Ainsworth has warned there will be some pain in the short term and a brilliant victory against Blues should not put unrealistic expectations on the new boss.

There are six games between now and New Year's Day when Town make the trip to take on Blackpool by the seaside.

If they can make some inroads to closing down the gap to 20th-placed Crawley in that time then that would be a huge bonus.

The sides around Shrewsbury have had games in hand on them all season, but they have now been played and the damage is positive from a Town perspective.

One of the reasons they end up getting out of this relegation battle this season could be the lack of points from the teams around them.Progress off the field has been made too after Liam Dooley revealed in his open letter to supporters the club are in a period of exclusivity with potential new owners.

Talks with buyers have been going on for some time, but this suggests things are moving in the right direction.

Roland Wycherley has been a brilliant custodian of this football club in the almost 30 years he has been at the helm, but Town are struggling to compete with the financial might of League One right now.

Town fans, who have seen just four wins on their home patch this calendar year, have not had a lot to enjoy.

But with the appointment of Ainsworth and the takeover making positive progress, it feels like they might be starting to head in the right direction.